


Adam's Very Bad Year

by BettyHT



Series: Very Bad and Very Good [2]
Category: Bonanza
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-10-22
Updated: 2018-10-22
Packaged: 2019-08-05 19:05:01
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 26,798
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16373300
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BettyHT/pseuds/BettyHT
Summary: 2nd in the Very Bad/Very Good series.  In the sixth season, Adam had bad luck in situations from Thanks for Everything Friend to the Flannel Mouthed Gun to The Search and Right Is the Fourth R and Dead and Gone. He had lost Laura to Will in the previous season. So many setbacks affect a man and this is the story that tries to explain how it might have been for him by the end of that year.





	Adam's Very Bad Year

Adam's Very Bad Year

Chapter 1

"How'd you like it if you was building a dream and it all come crashing down on ya? And your cousin was the one who pulled out the cornerstone?"

"Hoss, he has said over and over that he's fine with it. He said he wished them well. How could it still be bothering him more than a year later?"

"Joe, I jest know it is. He always says he's fine when he ain't. He's gotta have a hole in him or be so sick he can't stand before he tells ya he needs help. Even then, it better be a big hole or he jest says it burned his hide some. He came back from finding that Tom Burns fella, and he was hurting something fierce. I could tell, but he won't talk about it."

"You think it was a woman?"

"Heck, sometimes he falls in love even faster than you. I think maybe it was. I never seen him so down and out over a woman though. I guess after so many times having it go wrong, it gets harder and harder. I know it does for me. I keep thinking I got it all, and then I'm left with ashes. It hurts every time, and Adam's been through that even more than me."

"You may be right. The only time he perked up lately was when Margarita Miguel was here. It's too bad that marriage to Don Luis went through. I think Adam kinda liked her. He sure showed a bit more spirit when she was around even if it was just being angry with her. He sure did give it to her though. I may never get that image out of my mind of him spanking her after she broke that guitar over your head."

"I got quite a kick out of Don Luis pushing him into the water. Now that was a sight to see. Pa was funny the way he looked at Adam in the pond and shook his head."

Unfortunately Joe ended the pleasant memories with his next question. "So you gonna give him that letter from Laura?"

"I guess I gotta, but I sure don't want to do it. It's like she's twisting the knife she stuck in his back bragging about how good things are with Will and how happy Peggy is now."

"Maybe she's only trying to reassure him that everything is all right and he made the right decision."

"Maybe, but she's so damn dumb, just plain dumb too, not knowing how it would hurt Adam for her to be writing all that stuff. I know he's better of without her, but he sure misses Peggy."

"And the chance to have a family."

"Yup. Well I guess we gotta get this over with. Let's go give him the letter we picked up in town."

"What's this 'we' stuff? You got the mail. You give it to him."

"Yeah, pretty much as I figured. You know how much it bothers him to get these letters every month."

"Maybe this time, hand him a glass of brandy before you hand him the letter?"

"You know he won't drink it. He won't admit it hurts that much." With his head down, Hoss walked to the house with the letter from Laura in his hand. When he got in the house, he found Adam and Ben talking at the desk about Adam's idea to go to St. Louis for some horse breeding stock that was for sale. Hoss handed Adam the letter, and he folded it before putting it in his pocket.

Ben noted that Adam's relaxed posture was replaced by a more rigid one and a stony look. He looked at Hoss who shrugged. That was all Ben needed to know about the letter. It had to be another one of those from Laura. They arrived almost like clockwork on or near the first of every month. She probably had decided it was her duty to do this and likely nothing would stop her. Ben had considered writing her a letter asking her to stop, but that would only have opened up another issue. Then Laura would know that Adam had been heartbroken when she left. Ben had no idea what that scatter-brained woman would do if she knew that, but he had to be concerned about it. He knew Adam was hurt by each of these letters reminding him again that he had lost a chance to have his own home and a family. Yet, Ben saw no solution. If they tossed them in the fireplace, Laura would wonder why there was no letter in response to hers. Ben had no way to predict how a woman like Laura would react to anything. So each month, they suffered through the time when Adam read the letter and the sadness he had afterwards. The winter had been the worst. Adam could be a mean one, and when he had no way to work out his feelings, he took them out on his family. He was always so sorry afterwards, but his pain became their pain in more ways than one. Before dinner, Adam sat in the blue chair that he favored, read the letter, and then balled it up to throw it in the fire. Waiting to see if Adam would say anything, Ben decided to be direct.

"Laura have anything important to say."

"You know how she could just prattle on. Oh, she and Will are going to have a baby soon. That's about it. I suppose we should send something."

Ben was glad that enough time had passed to know that she wasn't with child when she was still engaged to Adam. He had worried about that possibility for months. Now that wasn't a worry, but the effect on Adam was still to be determined. There was a lot of work to be done so at least there was something to keep Adam focused, and he could also work off that negative energy.

It didn't take long though to see the effect. Joe and Adam were working with a string of horses that had to be broken and ready for the Army in two weeks. That meant a lot of hard and sometimes dangerous work. Adam pushed too hard and that made Joe push too hard because he didn't want his older brother to do more than he was doing with the horses. When the two of them didn't show up in time for dinner, Hoss went to get them. He could hear the hollering as soon as he rounded the barn. They were still working. Hoss knew that it wasn't a good idea to break horses when you were overtired. It was dangerous enough if you were just tired. He wondered which brother was pushing which. He found out soon enough. He heard the calls.

"Ride em, Adam." Joe's voice was the most high-pitched and the easiest to place. The other men were hollering too, and Adam was making the last ride of the day.

"Keep your head up."

"Woo hoo, you got him now."

"Go, Adam, go."

Hoss could see how weary Adam was by the look on his face, but he was holding his own with a big stallion. Joe moved over to stand by Hoss. "I rode him twice today and got bucked off onto my butt about as fast as any horse ever did it to me. Adam's been riding him for a minute already at least. He's gotta be getting tired by now."

"He was probably tired before he got on that animal."

Joe's excitement overrode his concern for his brother. "No, I mean the stallion. He's had three rides today. He's has to be getting tired. I think Adam's going to tame him."

"Tired men make mistakes, Joe, and sometimes that gets em hurt."

At that moment, the big stallion stopped bucking and stood heaving from his exertions. Adam maintained a tight grip on him as the two riders came in to help him get down. As they neared the stallion, he unexpectedly reared up. Adam was ready for it and held his seat getting the men to cheer again until the stallion dropped down and lowered his head as he did so jerking on the halter and catapulting Adam over his head and into the fence. The stallion would have charged and trampled Adam then if he could have but the two riders were close enough to bracket him and force him to the side. As soon as they could, they each had a lasso on him and took him from the breaking corral. As soon as they could, Hoss and Joe ran to where Adam lay stunned. He put up his hands for help when he saw his brothers standing over him.

"Gosh, Adam, you had him. We'll get him now. Are you hurt?" Joe was concerned especially after what Hoss had said.

"I'm fine."

There were those words again. It usually meant he was anything but fine. He didn't like anyone fussing over him. He walked stiffly to the gate which one of the men opened. As they walked to the house, Joe moved to Adam's side in case he needed assistance. Hoss walked behind and noted how slowly his older brother was walking and that he was favoring his right side. Hoss turned to one of the hands and told him to ride for the doctor.

"You can tell him it's probably not an emergency, but Adam's favoring that bad hip of his. He needs the doc to check him out."

In the house, Adam did his best to move so slowly that their father would not know that he was hurt. Ben was far more observant though than Adam wanted to admit. When Doctor Martin arrived, Adam was upset but Ben issued a challenge.

"I don't need a doctor. I'm fine."

"Then get up out of that chair without lifting yourself with your arms. I saw you earlier and that was the only way you were able to get out of that chair and get to the dining table. Then after dinner you pushed yourself up using the table. If you're not hurt, stand up now and prove it."

Of course Adam couldn't do that so he was resigned to having the doctor examine him. He made his way to the downstairs guest room in which he had been confined for a month about six years earlier with a cracked right pelvis and sacroiliac joint. It occasionally gave him some discomfort but was downright painful after crashing into a fence. A short time later, Paul came out and said Adam would be fine but needed to stay off horses for at least two weeks but under no circumstances should he get on a horse in less than a week.

"Can he ride in a wagon or carriage?"

"Not for a few days, but after that, it shouldn't hurt him any but it could be a bit uncomfortable. I don't think he cracked anything this time, but the muscles have been injured and he has some nasty bruises. Some ice packs are in order again. It's a good thing he managed to protect his head. He hit that fence with a lot of force."

Ben bid Paul good night and then waited for the explosion he expected from Adam. It didn't take long.

"I don't need to be taken care of like a boy. There was no reason to summon Paul for me."

"I didn't. Someone else did."

Looking at his brothers, Adam could tell immediately that Hoss had done that.

"Adam, you always say you're fine and sometime ya ain't. I just wanted to make sure."

Sighing, Adam couldn't say much because he had a much more difficult time being perturbed with Hoss. They had been through too much together, and the bond between them was very strong. "I know. I'm sorry, but I didn't think I needed to see a doctor. Someone could have asked me."

"You woulda just said you were fine, and tomorrow you woulda been out there trying to do something you couldn't and you woulda got yourself hurt or maybe somebody else."

Adam's eyes were dark as was his expression, but he couldn't say anything because Hoss was correct. He would have tried to work through it. It wouldn't have been a good idea, but he thought he needed to be doing something physical. The thought of being unable to work for a week was daunting. His father offered some things for him to do.

"We need some new harness rigging for the carriage. You could do that. You also haven't finished the plans for the addition to the lumber mill, and we could use some new maps for planning our timber cutting."

Nodding, Adam moved to sit in the blue chair. Hop Sing was there with an ice pack in hand. Adam took it and thanked him quietly. Uncharacteristically quiet, Hop Sing knew it was best not to stir these turbulent waters. He returned to the kitchen as silence reigned in the main room. Ben picked up the newspaper to read, and Hoss and Joe got into a relatively quiet game of checkers. Adam went to bed early allowing the others to talk quietly about what had happened.

"Joe, why did you let him keep going that long? The two of you should have been done at least two hours before he got hurt."

"I don't know, Pa. I kinda got caught up in the excitement, I guess. We were doing so well all day and got so many horses broke. It was like we couldn't do anything wrong. I'm sorry."

"It's not your fault, son. I was only wondering what happened. I know how Adam gets about work sometimes, and I should have expected it after that letter from Laura. I don't know how to help him, and I don't think he knows how to help himself."

Hoss had been sitting quietly. "I'm real worried about him. I asked him about Laura. He said he was wrong about Laura. Then he said he couldn't save Clegg, and he was wrong about Tom Wilson and about Howard. He said he almost messed up Margarita's marriage to Don Luis. He said when he thinks he's doing the right thing, it doesn't work out. He's real down on himself."

"Yes, he is down on himself, but boys, for the next week, he's going to be working here at the house. He's not going to like that so I ask if you could be even more considerate of his feelings. I don't want any arguments. Can you do that?"

"Not such a problem for me and Hoss, Pa. We're gonna be gone most days from sun-up to sun-down. You're the one who's going to be trapped with the angry bear if you don't come out to work with us."

Nodding, Ben sighed deeply as the three of them turned down lamps and prepared to go to bed. There wasn't anything they could do for Adam, and it made them frustrated. Joe began thinking of what they might be able to do. He considered and rejected dozens of ideas over the next week until he hit on one he was sure would work. He just needed to convince Hoss and their father to go along with him on the scheme.

Chapter 2

The next morning, Joe began dropping hints about the widow who was trying to manage a small ranch next to theirs. Ben had offered to buy her out whenever she wanted, but she was determined to make a go of it was what she told him whenever she had the chance. She had arrived in town only a year before, purchased that small property, bought horses and a small herd, and set herself up as a rancher. She said she got the money as the inheritance when her husband died. Hoss wasn't yet aware of what Joe wanted to do so he engaged in the conversation unaware of where Joe hoped it would go.

"There's something a bit off about that one, though. I can't never put my finger on it, but she makes me feel a mite uncomfortable when I'm talking with her."

Ben, also unaware of Joe's scheme, had to agree with Hoss. "I don't know. Her story makes sense and yet I get the feeling there's a lot more to it."

Adam had walked very stiffly that morning. Even without the doctor's pronouncement that he couldn't ride, it would have been obvious to everyone that he was too hurt to work horses or even to ride, but ever willing to champion an underdog especially if it was a woman, Adam joined in. "Perhaps it's that she's so independent. It has to be difficult for her with all the town thinking it's wrong for a woman to try to live independently."

"Well, she does need some help from a friend. I've seen that some of her fences are about to fall over, and she's got a lot of stock that's unbranded."

"When did you see that, Joe?"

"When I was working with the men last week to round up some of our strays. A lot of them were in the trees near her property line so we followed the fence lines to be sure none had strayed on to her property. We never saw her or any of her hands. She's a real nice looking woman. I wouldn't mind going over there to give her a hand."

"Later this week, someone has to go to town to get supplies. That might be a good time to stop in there to see if she needs some help." After saying that, Ben looked over at Adam. He was the likely choice, which they all knew. "Would you be willing to be the ambassador for our family to our neighbor?"

"Fine, I'll go see if she needs any help not that I could do much for her right now."

"Older brother, you get tired of helping out the pretty lady or thinkin' you jest ain't up to the task, well, I wouldn't mind at all taking your place." Hoss was grinning as he said it because he meant it.

Looking disappointed that their father had decided Adam was the one to go see Mrs. Reynolds, Joe thought his plan was working so well that perhaps he didn't need to include the others in it. Hoss especially would be more convincing if he was just being himself. He had to wait a few days to see if Adam would go along with his plan, but he wasn't disappointed. After three days of tolerating the paper work and the enforced inactivity, Adam was prowling around like a wounded cougar. At breakfast on the fourth morning, he announced he was going to town for supplies and the mail as well as to drop off some of the paperwork he had completed. Ben was happy because for three days now, he had been able to ride and enjoy the outdoors and leave the headaches of the paperwork and ledgers to Adam. Ben only asked if there was anything he had to do, and Adam told him only to sign some offers they were making. Hoss volunteered to harness up the carriage horse, and Adam thanked him because he had been dreading trying to do that himself. Ben reminded him to stop in to see if Mrs. Reynolds needed any assistance with anything.

After making the trip to town, getting supplies loaded with help, and taking care of other errands, Adam headed to the widow's ranch. He realized he wasn't even sure of her first name. He would have to call her Mrs. Reynolds, which would be proper enough under the circumstances. He had not paid attention to her as his brothers had so he was pleasantly surprised to arrive finding her hanging wash on the line and looking quite stunning. She came to greet him as he pulled the carriage up in front of the house.

"Good afternoon, Mrs. Reynolds. I'm Adam Cartwright. I hope it wasn't too presumptuous of me to stop by uninvited. My brother Joe told me that when he was riding our boundary lines looking for strays that it seemed you might need some assistance." Adam could see her bristle at that although she kept her composure. He found the spirit she had to be attractive as was her looks. She was bareheaded and her hair was a bit in disarray from her work and from the wind. He had a sudden urge to reach up and push those stray locks back behind her ears. As they talked though, he managed to stay formal without a hint of what his mind was considering would be an exciting adventure.

"Welcome, Mr. Cartwright. I had to let the hands go as you probably surmised looking about the place. I couldn't afford to pay them enough to get them to stay. My foreman is out looking for some replacements but at low wages, I'm not sure he will be successful nor that any he hires will be worth even the low wages I could pay."

"You can call me Adam. If you refer to me as Mr. Cartwright, I'm afraid I would be looking over my shoulder wondering when my father had arrived. If there is anything I could do to help, I would be pleased to do so."

"Mr. Cartwright, I hope you are not offended by me saying it, but by the way you climbed down from that carriage, it seems perhaps that you need some care instead of some work."

"Mrs. Reynolds, I can assure you that it is only temporary. A mustang decided to throw me into a fence as we were having a disagreement over whether I should ride him or not. As you have certainly surmised, he won that round."

"Adam, perhaps you would like to come inside for a cup of coffee or a glass of lemonade then? We could talk about what help you might be able to give me, and I must admit the talk would be as much help to me as anything. It does get very lonely out here. I never realized how difficult that would be."

Offering her his arm, Adam escorted Mrs. Reynolds inside after she accepted his arm with a slight smile. She was thinking along the same lines as Adam, but just as he had done, she had managed to stay formal without a hint of what she would really like to do. The man had the most kissable looking lips, and for her, it had been a long time since she had kissed anyone. As Adam and Mrs. Reynolds talked, Joe was talking with Hoss on the Ponderosa.

"You did that on purpose?"

"Of course I did. Adam's been moping around ever since Laura left. Nothing seems to bring him up out of the hole he put himself in except for a woman. I thought she was pretty but she's quite a bit older than me. She has to be about Adam's age. She's got that pretty blond hair and she's pretty easy on the eyes too. Besides, I only planted the seed. If anything grows, that's all Adam's doing."

"Joe, you know how he hates being pushed into things. If he ever figures out that you made that suggestion jest to get him to get involved with her, he's gonna be upset with ya."

"I didn't push him. I brought up the idea, and all of you thought it was a good one, and Adam could have said no, but he didn't so it's all his doing if something happens between them."

"I shur hopes it works out. Our older brother can't stand no more heartbreak this year. You don't know much about this lady. I'm hoping she's a nice one. Another mess could be all it takes."

"All it takes for what?"

Realizing he would be breaking a confidence with Adam, Hoss couldn't say more, but Adam had mentioned to him on more than one occasion in the past year, that he was thinking that leaving the Ponderosa for a while might be a good idea. Hoss had done his best each time to convince him otherwise, but he still held the fear that Adam would leave at some point. "Nothing, Joe, nothing. I'm only praying that it all works out. I don't want to have to see what happens if it don't. I really don't want to see that."

For the first time, Joe wondered if his plan was a good one, but then he thought about it briefly. "Hoss, it's a lonely widow trying to run a ranch by herself, and she obviously needs some help. What could possibly go wrong with that?"

"Yeah, and Laura was a lonely widow too, and look how badly that went. Ya jest can never tell when something ya never expected happens. Whoever would have thought that Will would have gone behind Adam's back to take his fiancé away? I'm jest saying I'm worried is all."

On the Reynolds' ranch, Adam felt some vague feelings that things weren't quite right with Mrs. Reynolds' story. He ignored those feelings though because he had been so wrong so many times in the past year, he decided he would take things at face value. They had a very pleasant talk, and Adam agreed to come back the next day to help her fix her corral fence. He wouldn't be putting strain on his back and hip with that because it was mostly just hammering nails in and replacing a few boards. She said she had gotten the lumber needed but had not been able to do anything with it. Her foreman had been gone on some personal business and was expected back within a week or so. Adam agreed to help her out until the man returned hopefully with a few hands who could start getting needed work done on the ranch. When Adam said it was time to leave because his family would be wondering what had happened to him, she walked out onto the porch with him.

"Adam, thank you so much for stopping by. I have enjoyed our time together very much, and I look forward to seeing you tomorrow. I shall be very disappointed if you don't come over here as you said you would."

"Mrs. Reynolds, I keep my word. I'll be here tomorrow with tools and ready to work."

"Oh, Mrs. Reynolds sounds so formal now that we're getting to be friends. Why don't you just call me Rose? My father used to say I was as pretty as the yellow rose of Texas." She had decided that would be her name now. It suited her far better than the name her parents had given her at birth. She could use Rose as her name until she wanted to change it when she moved on. She knew she would have to move on sooner or later, but a dalliance with this handsome cowboy could certainly make the time alone go much faster.

"Yes, then, Rose, I will be here tomorrow."

"Thank you, Adam, for everything." She stood on her tiptoes and kissed him on the cheek. She had the feeling that he wanted more, but she could wait a bit. She didn't want to seem too forward, and he wasn't the shy type. If he wanted more, she would likely know before much time had passed. She was rewarded with a dazzling grin for her efforts so she was sure she was correct in her assumptions. As he left, she watched and wondered what he would be like as a lover. He seemed to be a passionate man, and if she could ignite those passions, she was sure that they could have some wonderful times together.

When Adam got home and seemed in a better mood, Joe nudged Hoss with his elbow as if to say he had told him so. Hoss and Joe offered to take care of the carriage and unloading the supplies. Adam thanked them and headed inside with the mail and some paperwork that needed to be done. He planned to work on that in the evening so that the next day would be free. As he worked on the paperwork later, Ben came to stand beside him.

"You don't have to work on these tonight. They're not due for a few days."

"I offered to help Mrs. Reynolds with a few small projects so I wanted to free up time."

"Oh, you offered to help Mrs. Reynolds with a few small projects. I hope you haven't agreed to do too much. You know what Paul said."

"I know, and nothing will involve riding or lifting heavy objects. Pa, I'll be fine."

Ben was thinking that those were famous last words, but Adam did seem happier, so he simply smiled and nodded. Joe looked smug, and Hoss still had a bit of a worried look. He still had a gut feeling that something wasn't quite right with the whole situation even if Adam was smiling and seemed to have thrown off that pall of sadness that had enveloped him of late.

Chapter 3

"So Don Luis felt duty bound, of course, to have to uphold his lady's honor, and he pushed me into the pond. I wasn't expecting that. Pa, stood up there on the bank looking disgusted and perplexed as to his oldest son's behavior and perhaps a bit concerned for his sanity." Adam had been telling stories as they worked on the corral fences. He did his best to keep the stories light and funny. Rose appreciated the entertainment and laughed frequently at the tales.

"Oh, Adam, you seem to have liked this Margarita very much." Rose saw a dark look pass over Adam's face. She wondered why, but wouldn't ask. She wanted to keep this relationship light and fun. "Oh, sweetie, I didn't mean to upset you." Rose put a hand on Adam's cheek and stepped very close to him looking up at him with anticipation. If she had guessed correctly, they were about to have their first kiss. She said nothing more but waited for his reaction to her proximity. He leaned down and kissed her softly. She slid her arms around his waist as he kissed her, and his arms wrapped around her pulling her close to him as he kissed her again but with more intensity. As she opened her lips, his tongue slid inside, and she knew she had him. He wanted her. It was only a matter of time before he was in her bed. But she didn't want to rush him, and broke the kiss after a few very delightful minutes. Adam dropped his arms at his side not at all sure what her reaction was going to be. He didn't know her well enough to even have a guess.

Rose spoke first. "I'm sorry to have been so forward. I'm not usually like this.

"I am very sorry too. I should not have taken such liberties after having known you only a short time."

Smiling first, Rose chuckled next before laughing. Adam smiled not knowing what was so funny. "Us. We both wanted that to happen and now we act as if we didn't. But we are going rather fast so perhaps we could agree to take it one step at a time?"

"I like that idea."

"Now would you like to take a break and have some lunch? I have ham, bread, lemonade, and a fruit compote that should be just right about now."

Offering his arm, Adam smiled. He liked Rose, and his misgivings about her story were forgotten as she smiled at him and took his arm. She did like him. He knew that, and he knew she wanted him. He needed that acceptance and her desire for him, and it weakened his defenses. As they ate lunch, they chatted about the ranch, Nevada, and the harsh winter they had recently endured. Rose brought the pot of coffee to the table after they ate. She refilled the cups and sat down looking at Adam. He was relaxed and content as he had been in a very long time. There were no challenges here. There were no recrimination and no harsh words nor bad memories to spoil the moment. He could simply relax and enjoy her company. She seemed to enjoy having him there as well. After they finished their coffee, Adam helped her clean up the kitchen before they headed back to the corral to work on the fence. They weren't done but at least three fourths of the fence was mended. Adam promised to come back the next day to finish it. He kissed her softly before he climbed into the carriage for the ride home.

At dinner that evening, Hoss and Joe were very excited about the next day, but Ben was worried. A number of robberies of banks and other businesses had been a problem for the area from Sacramento to Placerville. The men who did the robberies were always chased into the Sierras before the posses inevitably lost their trail. Over and over, the criminals had gotten away. Their latest robbery though was a small bank in Reno. The sheriff there had wired that the posse was tracking the robbers who seemed headed directly south. Sheriff Roy Coffee and the sheriff in Carson City were forming posses and were going to try to intercept the gang. Because of their experience in the mountains especially the west side of the Ponderosa, Hoss and Joe had been enlisted to help. The next morning, they were going to join up with Roy's posse and head toward the mountains hoping to catch sight of the men fleeing the posse from Reno. The Carson City posse would go in a more northerly direction and try to do the same.

"Too bad you're hurt, Adam, or you could come with us. I could use some help tracking and it's going to be a good thing to get rid of these men. All those raids and men wounded and a few killed. It's time to put a stop to them." Hoss was far more serious about the endeavor than Joe who was itching for a fight with the gang.

"We'll have them outgunned and outsmarted. They didn't know what they were doing when they decided to try this in Nevada." Joe was enthusiastic about their prospects of success.

Adam was more analytical. "I don't know. They've been operating like this for over a year. Whoever is in charge has done impeccable planning. They've been successful every time they tried, and every time they get away cleanly as well. Be careful. These men are smart and dangerous."

"Hey, Adam, you sound almost as if you admire them. They're murderers and robbers."

"I know that, Joe, but it never hurts to respect the skills of your opponent. This gang is very dangerous and shouldn't be underestimated."

"I agree with Adam. You boys need to be very careful out there tomorrow and until you're done with this posse business."

"Pa, you know Hoss won't let us do anything too dangerous. He's as careful as Adam is and sometimes more." As they moved from the dining table into the main room, Joe had to ask about Mrs. Reynolds. "Hey, Adam, how's it going with the widow lady?"

"Fine. I'm going back tomorrow to help her finish the corral fence. That might be it. She said her foreman is due back from some personal business soon, and was supposed to hire some men to work for her. They can get to the branding and the fence lines."

Joe was very curious. "So, what do you think of her? I think she's pretty."

Looking at Joe and wondering what he wanted to know with his questions, Adam was slow in answering. He didn't know if Joe was jealous because that could lead to all sorts of problems. He finally answered rather noncommittally. "I agree. She's pretty."

"That's it? Didn't you get to know her some? You've been there all day and you saw her the day before too."

"We've been working on the corral fence. She helps hold up the boards, and I nail them on. We had lunch together and talked about the weather, Nevada, what she needs to get done on her ranch, and the awful winter we had. Is there something specific I should ask her that you want to know?"

"No, I was wondering what you thought of her. I mean, there's a dance coming up, and I wondered if you would consider asking her to go. You know, she's a widow and new to the area. She doesn't know many people here."

Hoss wanted Joe to stop talking because he could see how thoughtful Adam was looking. He was figuring out Joe's scheme, and if there was going to be trouble because of that, it was going to be soon. "Joe, why don't you settle down to our checkers game? All this talking can wait until some other time."

Realizing that his interrogation was giving away his scheme, Joe moved to sit across from Hoss so they could play checkers. Adam sat in his chair holding a book but not reading as he stared first at his brothers and then into the fireplace at the small fire burning there. Ben saw the look, and because he had drawn the same conclusion as Adam, wondered how he did feel about Mrs. Reynolds. He certainly had been in a better mood since the day before. Ben didn't know if that was the influence of the neighbor or that Adam was able to get out of the house and do something physical. He hoped there was no more trouble brewing because he worried what Adam would do if there was another heartache or disappointment that he had to face.

The next morning, Hoss and Joe were up early to leave to rendezvous with the posse. By the time Adam finished breakfast, he realized he would have to ask his father to hitch up the carriage or he would have to do it himself. Unwilling to let his father know that he was so sore that that would be a difficult task, he decided to do it himself. By the time he finished, he was sweating and knew he would pay a price for all that lifting. But he had promised Rose that he would be there that morning, so he climbed into the carriage for the ride. When he got there, he did his best to hide his aching back and hip but apparently not too successfully.

"What happened? Did you hurt yourself again?"

"You're very observant. No, but I did hitch up the carriage myself, and that was a bit of a strain."

"A bit of a strain? You look like you're having trouble walking much less working. When we go in for lunch, I'll put warm compresses on your back and hip to soothe the muscles unless you would like to do that now."

A little surprised at her pronouncement and the two choices she had given him, Adam only said he could wait. Then he wondered why he hadn't said he didn't need her to do that. He realized as he thought about it, that the prospect of her helping him like that was very desirable. He smiled as he worked, and she had to ask why.

"I'm looking forward to having this project done and having lunch with you."

Rose smiled. She suspected it was much more than that which had caused that smile. She very much liked that smile. She truly liked this man and looked forward to spending as much time with him as she could. As Adam nailed in the last board, she moved to his side.

"It looks very good. Thank you so much for your help. I couldn't have done this by myself."

"When your foreman gets back with some hands, more of the work can get done around here. The place will start looking very good. You'll be happy here." As Adam said that, he realized he would miss her even though he had known her all of three days.

"I will if you continue to visit and be my friend."

By then they were very close so the kiss was expected. The two of them wrapped arms around each other and enjoyed the physical intimacy. Adam was well aware that he knew very little about Rose, but he liked her and being with her made him feel better. For the time being, he decided that was enough. "I'll visit as often as you like."

Looking up rather demurely at him, Rose had another question. "Would every day be too often?" Then she smiled. Adam laughed and told her they were going to take it one day at a time. She agreed as they walked to the house. In the house as Rose got things together for lunch, she put a heavy muslin bag in the warmer compartment of the stove. Adam had to ask what that was.

"Well, people heat bricks to warm the foot of the bed or to warm someone who has taken a chill, but they don't bend. The bag is full of small broken bits of brick. They absorb the heat just like a solid brick, but the bag is more flexible of course so you can wrap it around an arm or an ankle or in this case across someone's lower back. It helps the muscles relax. If you like, I could massage those muscles after I get them heated up."

All sorts of ideas and images flashed through Adam's mind when she said that. "No, I think warming them up ought to be enough."

"You don't know that. You've never had a massage from me." Rose smiled again and served lunch. She sat very close to Adam so that her leg touched his as they sat on chairs. After lunch, she told him to lean forward and rest his head on his arms on the table. He did and felt the warmth immediately when she placed the bag across his lower back and hip. He heard her cleaning up the dishes from lunch and then it was very quiet. He waited and wondered what she had planned next. "This will work better if you're lying down. I removed the pillows from the bed in the guest room. I want you to lay on your stomach on the bed and then I'll put this on your back again."

Wondering if she was intent on helping his back or seducing him, Adam followed her instructions including pulling off his boots before lying on the bed. Then she placed the muslin sack over his lower back once more. After about twenty minutes, he felt her remove the sack but then her cool hands began working the sore and injured muscles.

"That's too much. They're warmed up just fine. You need to stop."

"Why?"

"I think you know perfectly well why."

"I don't mind. In fact it's good to know I can still have that effect on a man."

Lifting his upper body and turning, Adam was going to insist she stop, but instead he pulled her into his arms beside him on the bed. They kissed and touched. "Are you sure you want this?" His answer was a passionate kiss. Almost without thinking about it, he was unbuttoning her shirtwaist dress. They kissed, touched, and made love to each other. Resting in Adam's arms later, Rose only had one thing to say.

"Thank you. I needed to have someone show me that I am still desirable."

"Lady, you are a heck of a lot more than just desirable, but I do need to head for home. My brothers are out with a posse, and I need to see if there's anything I have to do at home while they're gone." Adam kissed her and then stood up to begin dressing.

Rose felt her heart rate speed up. "Posse? Who are they looking for?"

"A gang of robbers that's been active in California but hit a small bank in Reno. The sheriff there wired out that they were heading in this direction. There are two posses waiting for them here, and of course, one chasing them from Reno. My brother Hoss is an excellent tracker. If they have come through anywhere near him, he'll know. Hopefully, the posses will put these men out of business once and for all."

"Of course. It's not safe having criminals like that roaming about the countryside."

"Rose, if you're afraid, you could come stay at the Ponderosa until these men are caught. We have several guest rooms."

"There's only one room I'd like to stay in."

"I'm afraid my father wouldn't tolerate that."

Rose was pulling on her dress and buttoning it up. "I was only teasing. Adam, my foreman should be home by tomorrow. He should have hired some hands by now so we'll be as safe as anywhere."

They walked arm-in-arm to Adam's carriage where they kissed goodbye. Adam drove off whistling a merry tune. Rose watched him go but had a worried expression. Soon after Adam was out of sight, four men rode into the yard. One dismounted and walked toward her.

"Your man ain't gonna like this."

Chapter 4

"Clint and I aren't married. He has no hold on me. I know he sees other women when I'm not there." Rose was a bit defensive.

"Violet, you know it's different for a man than a woman. He's gonna be really mad about you taking another man to your bed."

"Roscoe, a kiss isn't the same as taking a man to my bed. And my name is Rose Reynolds now. Just be sure to call me Mrs. Reynolds when anybody is around."

"Fine, but we saw ya. We saw ya go in and how long it took to come out. We saw that you were in the bedroom. Couldn't see exactly what happened, but a man and a woman in a bedroom, well, it don't take too much imagination. Clint's gonna figure it out." Roscoe never wanted to come between Violet and Clint. Violet was the organizer and the planner for their jobs, but Clint was a killer. He was handsome, charming, and about as trustworthy as a diamondback in your bedroll.

"He won't figure it out, as you say, if you don't say anything. He's got another month to serve. By the time he gets here, there doesn't have to be any reason for anyone to say anything. You don't name the women he's with whenever he does that."

"Vi, uh Rose, he don't never get personal about it though. He's with em and then he's gone. It looked like this one of yours is kinda personal."

"Enough of that. Just keep it to yourselves and everything will be fine. Haven't I always done the planning and aren't all of you safe because I work out all the details. Did you know there are three posses out looking for you right now? Did you follow the map just as I drew it out for you?"

"Of course we did. We know you plan well. We're living mighty fine with your planning, but this man of yours could mess it all up. Your idea to do that job in Reno while he's sitting in a jail in Placerville ought to convince them that he's not part of our gang." Roscoe signaled to the other three men to head for the stable telling them to take care of his horse too. Once they were out of earshot, he had a question. "Say, what do we do about the extra man. Is he part of our gang permanent like or just until we can get rid of him?"

"How did he do?"

"He did what we told him to do, he stayed cool, and he ain't no complainer."

"Let's tell him, he's in then. We won't do another job for at least a month, so you can relax around here and go spend some money in town as long as you don't overdo it."

"We won't. Even the new guy understood when I told him we only get to spend wild when we're a long way from here. Maybe we could work in a trip to have us some fun while we wait for Clint."

"First, we have to make it look like you're working the ranch here. Once you fix a few fences and brand the cattle, you could drive some to market and then have a good time there. No one would think twice about cowboys spending money in a cattle town."

"That all sounds good except the branding and the fence mending. Do we really have to do all of that?"

"If we want this as a safe hideout, we do. We're going to hide in plain sight this time. There'll be no running to the mountains and living in a cave."

"Well, when you put it that way, it does sound a hell of a lot better. All right, I'll explain it to the boys. You got all we need in the bunkhouse?"

"Yes, there's whisky, clean clothes, nice comfy beds, tobacco, and some games and cards. We have to make it look like a normal ranch, so I'll cook up dinners for you in the house, and then you can carry it to the bunkhouse to eat. I got the smokehouse well stocked so we won't need to send anyone to town for supplies for at least a week. By then, those posses ought to be frustrated enough to quit. The four of you can split the take from Reno four ways. It's kind of a bonus for setting up a cover for Clint."

"Yeah, he's in jail for shooting that tinhorn gambler, but now they'll never tie him in with us. He had a lot of money on him. That was a stupid ass mistake on his part, but you cooking up that scheme was real smart of ya, Vi, uh, Rose. Damn, that's gonna take some getting used to." With that, Roscoe headed to the bunkhouse and Rose walked back into the house. She would introduce Roscoe as the foreman when Adam returned for she had no doubt he would return. A man who could show such passion but still be gentle in his lovemaking was not one who would walk away. She smiled and then frowned as she went from being happy about the time she spent with him and then worrying about where this path could lead her. She had spent her life so far avoiding mistakes that could cost her freedom or her life. She wondered if she had just made that kind of mistake.

Rose had not made any mistake in her plan for her gang to elude the posses. She had stashed fresh horses for them in the mountains at two locations. They had been instructed to follow an exact route she had mapped out, which had even included some alternative routes if the posse got too close. With the fresh horses and even with the doubling back they had done a number of times, they were still two days ahead of where the posses thought they likely would be. She hoped now that they would get some rainfall. If they did, ten of the best trackers in the west would never follow their trail out of the mountains if they ever found it in the first place.

That was exactly the problem the posses were having. Two of them had found nothing at all. Hoss had found a trail and lost it at least a dozen times. He was getting very frustrated.

"Dadburnit, Joe, they doubled back and then went into a stream and out on gravel. Finding that trail took about ten times as much time as they took to make it. They're gonna be long gone at this rate. I wish Adam was here to help."

"Hey, Hoss, I'm here. I can help track."

"I know and I'm grateful for the help, but we both work the same way. Adam is more like them Paiute. They kinda take a look around and sense where their enemy has gone."

"So he guesses well. We could try that."  
Pausing, Hoss looked over at Joe and smiled a grim smile. "You know, little brother, I think you're right."

"I am?"

"Yep, you're right. With the tracks they been leaving for us, we'll never catch em. Maybe, just maybe, if we make a couple guesses, we might get lucky. It'll be a sight better than what we're doing now. Let's go talk to Roy."

Roy was reluctant but had to agree to the logic of Hoss' argument. They planned to camp for the night and then meet up with at least one of the other posses the next day. They would split up into smaller groups of four each and each small group would take their best guess and follow it. Hopefully one of them might find where the gang had gone. The plan worked out by the end of the next day, but they were still no closer to finding the gang. Hoss and his group found the trail into a broad valley that led in the direction of the Ponderosa, Carson City, or Virginia City. When the other groups rendezvoused with them, they discussed what to do next.

"Roy, we're going to be cutting across pasture land and roads. Any one of those places could wipe out any useful tracks. I found the tracks but they look to be at least two days old. They could be almost anywhere by now."

"Hoss, that may be true, but we'll follow em tomorrow morning as soon as it's light and see where they go. At least we should get a general direction. We could send wires then for the law to be on the lookout for four men with money to spend."

"Roy, it looks like rain is coming in. We may not have that much time to track them tomorrow."

"We'll do what we can, Hoss. It's all we can do."

The men for whom they were searching had gotten started working on the Reynolds Ranch. Adam had come over that morning to see if Rose needed any help and was introduced to Roscoe. Roscoe seemed a decent sort but didn't seem to have a good idea of how to work a ranch. He and Adam talked for a short time. Roscoe went to get the men organized then as Adam walked back to Rose.

"We talked and the branding seems to be the most important thing right now. That way even with your fences in poor condition, if any cattle wander off, you can claim them by the brand. It's going to be a bit more difficult because most of your cattle are full grown, but we talked about how to do that. Now, do you have a branding iron?"

"Oh, Adam, you're going to think I'm so foolish, but I never thought about that."

"It's all right. There's a small forge behind the stable, and I'll see if I can scrounge up some metal to use. There should be some pieces that will work. How about a double R brand? I could put an R back to back with another R."

"That sounds wonderful, but that work won't hurt your back, will it? I don't want you to hurt yourself."

"I'll be fine, and if I get a bit sore, I seem to remember a magic cure and that the lady of this ranch is quite good with that method."

"You're terrible."

"On a more serious note, no regrets about yesterday?"

"None. You?"

"Oh no, I felt great. I think I'm still feeling the pleasant aftereffects. I thought you would be all right with it. With your past, you would be able to make that decision."

"My past?" Suddenly Rose was worried, but Adam's answer let her relax.

"Well, you were married. You would know more about these things than most women. If you didn't want the attention, you would have let me know, or at least I hope you would have."

"Yes, you're right. I knew what I was getting into just by kissing you. It's all good, and I would like to spend more time with you. I really do enjoy every minute when we're together." As she said it, she realized she was telling the truth. She had never enjoyed being with a man the way she enjoyed being with Adam and that was only after a few days. She started to worry that she might fall in love with him. She had never loved a man, never consented to marriage, and found that most men appreciated her only when they found how much of a benefit it was to know her. Here was a man who cared about how she felt and worried about that. She had no experience with such a man and had only meant to have a good time with him.

As the morning progressed, she realized that she would stay if he asked her. She would change her life for him and that made her wonder if that was what being in love meant. She had a lot to think about, but thinking was the last thing she was doing when she went to bring some lemonade to Adam. He had been working at the forge for quite a while. She could hear the metal on metal sounds as she worked in the kitchen. When she walked around the corner of the stable and saw him with his shirt off and sweat making his body glisten in the sun, her heart began racing and her breathing became shallow. She watched him work and slowly regained control. When she walked up to give him a drink of lemonade, he grinned at her and thanked her. That's when she knew she was in love. She knew he wasn't, but in time, perhaps he could love her too. She was amazed at the work he had done. Not only had he created a branding iron but had found enough metal to create a new latch for the corral gate. The one on it was wood but this one was a work of art.

After lunch, Adam said that he needed to go for he had some work on the Ponderosa that he needed to do, and he wouldn't have time that evening to complete it. Then the next day, he had to go to town to deliver the paperwork. He wouldn't be able to see her the next day, and both found that difficult to accept. Adam pulled her into his arms for a kiss to let her know he would miss her. They didn't do anything more because the hands were back from rounding up cattle, and neither of them wanted to be too obvious. Adam bid her goodbye, and Rose felt a bit lonely as soon as she saw him disappear from view as he drove his carriage back to the Ponderosa.

Chapter 5

As Adam prepared the paperwork he needed to take to town the following day, Ben watched and asked a few questions. Ben had been acting as foreman while Adam was laid up and Hoss and Joe were on the posse. He realized as he watched Adam work that he was looking forward to being back in his old role. For the time being though, he meant to be the caring and concerned father.

"You seem very happy these last few days. Does Mrs. Reynolds have something to do with that?"

Looking up with a wry smile, Adam rubbed his earlobe between his thumb and index finger before answering. Ben knew what it meant. He was taking some time to prepare his answer, but he wasn't worried about it. Adam liked to be careful in how he phrased things.

"She is. If I hadn't had the chance to go over there to help her out, I would have been stuck in the house, and it would have driven me crazy."

"What is she like?"

"She's spirited and independent but with an air of mystery about her. I get the feeling it would be difficult to know what Rose is thinking unless she tells you."

"Rose?"

"Well, Pa, we have been working side-by-side for a couple of days. It's difficult to stay formal in such a situation."

"I get the feeling it's gone well beyond being formal." Adam's look confirmed that thought. "After everything that's happened, you're not moving too fast in this situation, are you? I mean, we hardly know anything about her."

Leaning back in the chair, Adam crossed his arms. Ben knew what that meant too. "I've tried being thoughtful and working at solutions. Lately none of that has worked out. Maybe I ought to just go with my feelings for a change."

"Adam, you did your best in those situations. No one could have done any better. It's not your fault that people are not honest. You can't hold yourself responsible for what others do."

"But I do hold myself responsible for what I do, and I have made a number of errors in judgment, and I have failed to be careful enough as well. People have died because of my actions or inaction. Sometimes I didn't foresee the consequences of my actions. I can't forget any of that. I thought I was doing a simple little thing when I had the bright idea to research Nevada's history. It wasn't so simple. Men died including an innocent man, the last of his tribe."

"Are you being careful enough now?"

Adam wanted to say that he was, but he knew he wasn't. He had gotten deeply involved with a woman although he knew very little about her. She didn't talk about anything from her past other than in the most general terms. He didn't even know where she was from or if she had any family. He had ignored his gut feeling that something wasn't quite right with her story, and he had let himself be seduced for the more he thought about it, the more he knew she had led him to her bed as surely as if she had come right out and asked. Ben was patient. He knew that with Adam there was no point in trying to push or rush. Finally Adam looked at him directly.

"You may be right. I need some time to think about all of this. I won't be seeing her tomorrow as I have to be in town for quite a bit. I'll have lots of time to think on the trip to town and back again."

Knowing that it was time to drop that topic, Ben moved on to his other big concern. "I hope your brothers are back soon. I'm worried about them being gone this long. It can't be going well."

"You're worried?" At Ben's nod, Adam explained what he thought might have happened. "If they got ahead of them, they would have had to wait for them. If they were already through the area, then they would have to track them. Hoss is exceptional as a tracker, but there's a lot that can be done to slow the tracking. As smart as this gang has been in the past, I would guess they would have used some tricks. If they had fresh horses, they could be way ahead of the posses who would have to track them down."

"That's true. I just worry so much when any of you boys are on a posse until I see you riding back home."

"Pa, we're not boys any more. We're men, and we know how to be careful."

"You'll always be my boys. I can't help it. It's a father's right."

Nodding, Adam gathered up all the paperwork and put it in a leather satchel. He had a lot of work to do in town, but it felt good to be accomplishing something. It felt a heck of a lot better than riding fence lines or branding cattle. As he lay in bed that night, he thought about his brothers and what they might be doing, and then he couldn't help but think about Rose and what she might be doing. He reflected too on his thoughts earlier. He wasn't satisfied being a cowhand. He wanted more but had no clear idea of what that more was. He fell asleep finally but slept fitfully worried about so many things. He dreamed he was on a cliff, it was raining, and he was sliding forward unable to stop himself. He woke to a light rain hitting the window. Sitting up, he wiped the sweat from his brow and realized he was damp from sweating, still tired, and still ill at ease. He needed to get that work done in town, and spend some time thinking about the questions he wanted to ask Rose. He needed answers from her so he could know if she was going to be part of his future.

While Adam searched for answers within himself, the posse was getting up to a light rain and knew they needed to move quickly or lose all hope of tracking the gang. They skipped breakfast, packed up their gear, and headed out as soon as there was light. They found the trail and followed it despite the rain. It circled around the Ponderosa boundary several times before moving further south. They lost the trail on the Reynolds ranch. Hoss suggested they might stop there to ask if anyone on the ranch had seen anything unusual so the posse headed there next.

Hearing horses riding in and then seeing such a large group of men outside her house, Rose started breathing hard scared that all her plans had somehow failed. She did her best to regain her composure and was reasonable calm when she answered the knock on her front door. Sheriff Roy Coffee and Hoss stood on her porch with two other men wearing badges.

"Ma'am, I'm Sheriff Coffee out of Virginia City, and we shur hate to bother ya, but we've been out tracking a murderous band of robbers. We lost their trail on your ranch. We was wondering if you or any of your hands has seen anything unusual or any strangers riding through?"

"Sheriff, I'm sorry but I'm new here as are my hands. I'm not sure any of us would recognize anything as strange or realize that any men riding through were strangers. If we saw four men, we would likely think that they could be our neighbors or any other innocent men. We wouldn't have any idea which."

"Yes, that's what Hoss said, but I was hoping for a break. We can't seem to get one with this gang. I'm sorry to have bothered you. We'll be letting you get on with your work."

"Thank you, Sheriff Coffee. I'm just about to feed my hands. If you wanted to wait a bit, I could try cooking up some lunch for your men."

"Nah, that's all right, ma'am. I'm sure that they all want to head on home now that we lost the trail. Good day to you."

As the four men walked back to their horses, the rain diminished. It looked like it would clear out soon. Roy noted how thoughtful Hoss looked. "Something on your mind, Hoss?"

"Roy, I ain't got nothing to go on, but I had the feeling she was real nervous about talking with us."

"Do you think she was lying?"

"Roy, I can't say that, but it just didn't ring true."

"Hoss, I had the same feeling, but like you say, I ain't got nothing to base it on except my feeling that something ain't quite right here. You come up with anything solid, you let me know."

"I'll do that, Roy. I will."

Roscoe had been at the kitchen door waiting to take breakfast to the other men. He had moved to the side of the house so he could hear them talking with Rose. Then he stayed there as they walked down the porch steps and was rewarded with hearing Hoss and Roy talking. When the posse rode out, Roscoe went back to the kitchen door and entered the house. "We got trouble."

"What kind of trouble?"

"That big man and the sheriff didn't like your answer. They think you were lying. I get the feeling they'll be nosing around some in our business."

"They can nose around all they like now. You're safely here and they lost the trail. All the money is being transferred into the Virginia City Branch of the Bank of California. Soon, we can start withdrawing that money. We're all going to be pretty well off."

"I don't want to be the richest man sitting in jail waiting for the gallows. We gotta do something about this. You're the planner, plan! You spent enough time entertaining that Cartwright. You need to get back to what we do."

Bristling at his remarks, Rose had a retort. "You were the ones who let them follow your trail. They should never have found your tracks leading to this ranch. I can plan, but you have to follow the plan."

"We followed your plan exactly. There were no mistakes. Somebody in that group is the best tracker we ever faced. Keep that in mind when you're planning how to get us out of here."

As Roscoe grabbed the platter of eggs, toast, and ham, Rose was thinking about what Adam had said about Hoss and his tracking skills. It was a new variable that she had to plug into the equation when she was planning what they would do next. After Roscoe left the house, Rose pulled out some sheets of paper, a pen, and an inkwell. She anticipated that Adam might have a lot of questions after he talked with Hoss. She began to write a life story, some of it real and some of it fiction with enough details that could be checked so that Adam would get answers to questions whether he asked her or sought out the information elsewhere. There had been a Reynolds ranch in Texas. She remembered it from the brief time she had been there. Almost all of the family had been wiped out in a raid by Comanches. While living in California, Rose had met a Reynolds woman. She and her father had left Texas as war loomed to seek a better life in California, but the father had died in the gold fields, and the woman had died in a typhoid epidemic. Rose and her gang had fled that area to avoid the contagion, and now she could use that information. There was no one alive who could dispute that she was part of that family. She added anecdotes and stories to her outline as she wrote. By the end of the morning, she had a nice thick sheaf of papers detailing her imaginary life as well as a plausible story of how she had acquired her money. She planned to spend the afternoon and evening reading and rereading until that story was hers. Then she began to think about how she could rid herself of her gang and especially how she could get rid of Clint who she saw as a millstone now. It was an encumbrance she intended to remove. She wanted to find out if there was a long term relationship with Adam in her future, but she decided that after knowing Adam, she should never have settled for a man like Clint.

While Rose was writing and Adam was conducting his business in town, Hoss and Joe rode home to be greeted with a huge smile by their father who was greatly relieved to see them home. After taking care of their horses and dropping their dirty and wet clothing in the wash room, Hoss and Joe emerged to find that Hop Sing had laid out a scrumptious lunch for them.

"Hot diggity, Joe, I'm gonna go on more posses ifn I can come home to this. Hop Sing, you're the best there ever was." Hoss sat down and loaded up a plate with all the wonderful food on heavily laden platters on the table.

"Hey, big brother, with all this food, we won't need dinner today."

"Hush, now, Joe, don't you go talking all silly like that. Hop Sing would be right hurt ifn we didn't want him to cook dinner. I say, let him cook."

"You would. I suppose you do have two and a half days of trail food to make up for. Hey, where's Adam? We were just over at the Reynolds Ranch, and he wasn't there."

"Adam is taking care of legal matters in town. He had appointments with our lawyer, our broker, and at the bank. I expect him to be home late this afternoon."

"I don't understand how he likes doing that kind of stuff. But he does seem a lot happier than he was lately." Hoss was concerned about Adam, but did like the improvement in his mood. His look turned serious though when he considered Mrs. Reynolds. Ben saw the look and waited for whatever it was that was bothering Hoss. "Pa, what do you think of that Mrs. Reynolds?"

"I think we've discussed that already. I don't know much about her so it's difficult to form an opinion."

"Yeah, I think that too, but today we stopped by there because we lost that gang's tracks on her ranch. Pa, Roy and me felt like she wasn't telling us the truth. We got nothing to go on but a feeling, but it just don't sit right with me that we lost the gang's tracks there, and she said there was nothing unusual. I mean, I know she's new here and all, but she didn't mention seeing anything out of the ordinary. You would think she would have at least asked us what we were looking for."

"Hoss, what did she say?"

"Well, Pa, she said if she saw four men riding through, she would likely think they were neighbors or just innocent men passing by."

"Hoss, that does make sense to me."

"I know, and it makes sense to me too, but I had the strangest feeling that she was lying when she said it. I'm sorry, but it was just a gut feeling."

"Hoss, that was probably your stomach telling you to get home to this fabulous spread."

"Joe, I'm being serious here. I don't need you riling me up now."

The three men were quiet for a while then as they ate. Suddenly Joe slapped the table with his hand. "That's it!"

"What's it, and don't yell when you're at the table."

"No, Pa, Hoss, don't you see. She said if she saw four men riding by they could be neighbors or innocent men just passing through." Ben was the first to understand what Joe meant. He looked at Hoss who shook his head when he got it too.

"Dadburnit, I knew there was something wrong. How did she know we was trailing four men?"

Ben had a caution. "Now, that doesn't prove anything, but it certainly is something that bears some study. But, don't say anything to Adam. He likes this woman, and I don't want to hurt him needlessly."

"But Pa, what if it's true? It's gonna hurt him real bad to find out she lied about anything."

"Hoss, you're right, but for now, let's just think about how to handle this without saying anything to Adam."

Late that afternoon when Adam arrived home, Hoss went out to take care of the carriage for him even though he told Hoss he was feeling much better and could do it himself. As Hoss insisted, Adam went inside to discuss the results of his meeting. He talked with his father for at least an hour, and noted that he seemed ill at ease. Joe seemed even more uncomfortable and Hoss sat and stared at the fire until dinner was announced. Adam thought that perhaps the failed mission of the posse was the cause so he didn't tease his brothers about that at all. That night, all four of them had trouble falling asleep, but only Adam had positive thoughts. He was looking forward to seeing Rose the next day, and the anticipation had him finding slumber difficult to achieve. Finally he did fall asleep, but his father and brothers found sleep much more difficult.

Chapter 6

"You look like the cat that caught the bird." Rose had been waiting anxiously that morning to see if Adam would come to see her again.

"I thought that perhaps I could talk you into a picnic today. I've caught up on my work, and my brothers are home to handle anything that should come up. As soon as I can ride again, I won't have much free time so I thought to take advantage of these last free days I have." Adam grinned and Rose could only nod in agreement.

"Just a moment and I'll get my shawl. I'll be right with you." Rose picked up her shawl and quickly glanced through her notes. Sure that she had committed everything to memory, she smiled and headed out to go on a picnic. She smiled more as she thought to herself how much she trusted Adam without knowing much about him. She could only hope that he trusted her the same way. She had the first parts of a plan in mind to free herself of her former life so that she would be able to spend more time with the handsome and courteous rancher and lover. Adam helped her into the carriage and then climbed in beside her.

"Where are you taking me for this picnic?"

"On to the Ponderosa. There are some wonderful places for picnics. I thought perhaps one by a sand beach at the lake would be nice. We could walk barefoot in the water later if you wish."

"That sounds so lovely. Thank you so much for the invitation."

"I missed you yesterday. I spent quite a lot of time thinking about you. I had to fight to keep my mind on business when I was in the meetings I had yesterday."

"The meetings were successful then?"

"Yes, the Ponderosa cash flow should be quite healthy this year. We've got confirmed contracts for cattle, horses, timber, and lumber. I added a few investments too that should pay off nicely by next year. The taxes are paid for this year, so everything coming in is profit once expenses are paid."

"How much do you pay in taxes on a large ranch like yours?"

"I paid ten thousand dollars in Genoa a few months ago. Luckily, I was able to get it done. Otherwise we could have had a problem with unpaid taxes. Some properties have been sold for pennies on the dollar the last few years when that happened. I've been telling Pa that we need to separate the Ponderosa into different business entities so that one setback doesn't threaten all of our holdings. He's reluctant to make any changes like that though."

"Why did you say you were lucky to get the taxes paid?"

So Adam told her about Trask and his mistake in telling the miner that he was carrying that amount in his saddle pocket. He told her the miner was killed, and that he had almost been lynched. She was thinking that he was a very intelligent and resourceful man to survive such an encounter so she was surprised at the bitterness he expressed. "I don't understand. It all worked out. That awful man went to prison, Mr. Neighbors got respect, and you got to go pay the taxes."

"That old miner died."

"That could not be your fault. Trask would have killed him regardless of what you told him. Trask wasn't going to leave any witnesses." Adam looked at Rose with some intensity making her a bit nervous. This man had the ability to unnerve like no other. "Did I say something wrong?"

After a moment, Adam looked away and focused on the carriage horse and the reins in his hands. "No, it's just that wasn't the reaction I expected from a woman. You surprise me, that's all."

"Why does that surprise you?"

"Most women, it seems to me, would have been more concerned that an innocent man died than that my trip was successful and that there were other benefits at the cost of a man's life."

"I guess in my life, being successful has been more important than who got hurt along the way. We all have to survive out here, and sometimes people get hurt or even killed. It's the way it is, as far as I can see."

"That's a hard way to live. I keep hoping for more."

"There's always more. You only have to grab on and take it."

Smiling and moving the conversation to lighter matters, Adam mentioned that she had done something just like that a couple of days earlier. She laughed and leaned her head against his shoulder as she wrapped an arm around his arm. But Adam was thinking that he had seen part of her soul that she liked to keep hidden. She was a mystery in so many ways, and he certainly enjoyed a mystery, but he was beginning to think this one might have some traps in it of which he ought to beware. He was glad too that he had followed the lawyer's advice and sent out a few inquiries about the widow Rose Reynolds. Sometimes it could be exciting to play with fire, but it was best to take precautions too. There were simply too many questions for him to let his guard down too much. But her warmth against his side and the beauty of the day distracted him from more negative thoughts. At the lake, he pulled out a blanket, a picnic basket, and two towels. He spread the blanket out in some shade although they would have to move it as the day progressed.

"What would you like to do first?"

"You did mention walking in the water. I haven't done that since I was a little girl. I'd like to do that first."

Pulling off his boots, Adam watched as Rose slipped off her soft leather boots, and then reached up her skirt to slide her stockings off. Adam admired the soft skin of her ankles and legs. She noticed him watching intently and moved slowly to give him the best show. When she finished and stood, Adam was by her side and wrapped his arms around her to kiss her.

"We could go swimming if you like. Have you ever been swimming?"

"Never."

"Would you like to try?"

"I don't have anything to wear for swimming."

"We're on the Ponderosa. You don't need to wear anything."

"I don't know how to swim."

"I'll be by your side the whole time."

"Isn't the water rather cool?"

"Swimming will make the water feel refreshing after."

"After what?"

Without answering, Adam let her know by beginning to unbutton her dress as he trailed kisses from her lips to cheek to neck. She ran her hands up his chest and pulled him into another passionate kiss as he continued to undress her and himself. An hour later, he walked her into the water, and it was as refreshing as he had said it would be. He never left her side. When they left the water though, Rose was a bit chilled. Adam dried her with the towel rubbing vigorously on her arms and legs before helping her dress. He dressed then as she watched. Rose was not at all shy.

"I like all the muscles you have. The hard work out here agrees with you. But would you turn around so I can see your back?"

As he did, she could see that the bruising was all shades of brown and green. He was obviously healing well. He looked back over his shoulder at her. "It feels a lot better."

"It seems to be healing very well. You should be able to ride very soon."

"I know, and that means I won't be able to see as much of you. My brothers will be delivering some horses to the Army so I'll have to do a lot more on the ranch soon. It's why I wanted a picnic today."

"Speaking of which, I'm hungry. What did you bring along?"

So Adam unpacked the basket discovering what Hop Sing had packed for their lunch. After that they skipped stones and took a walk. By mid-afternoon, Adam knew it was time to pack up. Rose helped him with the basket, and he tossed the towels in it as well. After shaking out the blanket, he packed that and the basket into the back of the carriage. He took a long route back to Rose's ranch so that he could show her more of the sights of the Ponderosa. He bid her goodbye with a long and tender kiss promising to be back as soon as he could but warning her that it could be a week or more.

By the time Adam returned home, Hoss and Joe were back from working. "About time you're back. I hope you enjoyed having another day off."

"Thank you, Joe. I touched that you are so concerned with my well being."

Remembering that their father had encouraged them to be wary of upsetting Adam especially now that he seemed to be coming out of his sad state, Joe simply walked to the house to vent his frustration. Hoss was more relaxed about the whole thing.

"Your back feeling better?"

"Yes, I think I ought to try riding tomorrow. I could hardly feel it today, so it should be all right."

"Have yourself a good day with Mrs. Reynolds?"

"Yes, I enjoy being with her."

"She have anything to say about us being on her property when we was looking for that gang?"

"No, the topic never came up."

"So she still hasn't anything unusual to report?"

"No, nothing as far as I know."

"You seen these men she's got working for her? You said there were four of them, right?"

"Right, but Hoss, what is this interrogation about? You may as well just spit it out because you know I won't quit until you tell me."

"I know. You're like a dog with a bone gnawing and scratching at it until he breaks it open and gets the marrow." Hoss could see that his delaying tactics would have no effect on his older brother who simply waited expectantly for the answer to his question. "Well, when we talked to her yesterday, she didn't seem like she was being honest with us. It was just a gut feeling, but Roy had the same feeling. Then we remembered that she said she hadn't seen four men traveling through her property only we had never said we was looking for four men, so how's she know that?"

"So, what do you think? That she's the head of some outlaw gang that's been robbing and murdering all over California and now in Reno?"

"Well, it does sound kinda silly when you say it like that, but, dadburnit, Adam, why did she say four when we never asked her that?"

"Perhaps she reads the newspapers which have been writing about four men pulling off these robberies for the past year."

"Well, that could explain that, but it still don't set right with me."

"Maybe I should invite her to dinner, and then you could get to know her and see what you think?"

"You getting serious about her?"

"Serious, yes. I like her, and I like spending time with her. Am I falling in love with her? No. I'm not ready to fall in love with anyone right now."

"Seems to me that we ain't always got control of how our feelings develop for a woman."

"You may be right about that. Hoss, I'll be careful. I'll keep my eyes wide open."

"You ain't mad about what I was thinking and what I said to you?"

"I never could get mad about you caring what happens to me. I know you only said those things because you care. Now let's get inside so we're not late to dinner. I'm hungry. I worked up quite an appetite today."

"I bet you did." Hoss laughed and slapped Adam on the shoulder. All Adam could do was look down a bit sheepishly and smile. That made Hoss laugh, and Adam had to join him. Ben relaxed as he heard his two older sons walking into the house chuckling yet over what Adam had revealed.

"What was so funny?"

"Oh, you know, Pa, Adam and me was just joshing each other. Now, what's Hop Sing got for dinner? I'm gonna be gone for a week, and I need a right big meal to tide me over until I get home."

That made the others laugh too, and they sat down to dinner to plan the work for the next week. Hoss and Joe updated Adam on what they had been doing and what still needed to be done. Adam updated their father on the status of the contracts and investments. Adam made a pitch again for organizing the Ponderosa as several entities legally to limit their liability, but Ben still didn't want to do it because it didn't seem necessary to him. It was a minor bump in the conversation that was mostly genial and warm.

On the Reynolds Ranch, the conversation was anything but warm and genial. Rose and Roscoe were discussing her plans for disbanding the gang. Roscoe was at least hearing her out.

"Roscoe, you knew when we started that this could not go on forever. Now I have a lot of money invested as we agreed when we started this. I can sign those over to each of you, and you'll all be reasonably wealthy men. Sooner or later, we're going to make a critical mistake. We could already have made one, and I'm sure by now that Wells Fargo has upped the reward on us. Add it to all the other rewards out there, and bounty hunters are already probably trying to figure out where we went."

"It's pretty nice here, and you seem to enjoy what the area has to offer. Can't we just hang out here for the next six months or so until things cool down? Maybe we could relocate to another state and work out of a setup like this one?"

"I don't want to move."

"You're falling in love with that Cartwright, aren't you? Well let me tell you what I've found out about him. I was talking with a few of the Ponderosa hands while we was out fixing up the worst of the fence lines. I mentioned that I had seen one of the Cartwrights hanging out with my boss. They told me all about him. He's real smart, and he already put a friend or two of his in jail. He don't tolerate no one going against the law, but he ain't above taking the law into his own hands. He's pretty damn good with a gun too from what I've heard. He's cool and calm in a fight. He shot it out with a professional gunfighter once and won. You're playing with dynamite with that one."

Rose carefully considered all that Roscoe had said. She liked the idea that he was smart and dangerous. She also knew that he was loving and passionate. It all went with the package that she liked so much. Now in addition to falling in love with him, her respect and admiration for him increased too. Roscoe could see that his words had the opposite effect of what he wanted. Knowing Rose as he did, he should have known better. Adam was a lot like Clint except he wasn't mean and nasty. Rose seemed attracted to the type. Roscoe shook his head and said he was going to talk with the men to see what they thought about Rose's ideas. Rose sat in her chair for the next hour thinking. She now had a few more ideas for her plan to extricate herself from the gang and her criminal past. She now knew how Adam could help her with that. It was nearly two weeks before she saw him again so she had a lot of time to convince Roscoe and the men as well as fine tune her plan.

Chapter 7

Rose was hanging laundry when she sensed a presence behind her. She whirled and then shook her head. Adam was standing there grinning. "You sneak better than anyone I have ever known."

"Hoss, thinks I'm part Paiute."

"Why?"

"I grew up around here and the only boys close by to play with were Paiute most of the time. I learned a lot from them. Now how about a kiss to let me know how much you missed me?"

Rose stepped into his embrace and wrapped her arms around his neck as he leaned down to kiss her. They stood there for a time enjoying being in each other's arms.

"It seems kinda quiet around here."

"I sent the men to sell the cattle. I'm not cut out to be a cattle rancher. I had an offer from a ranch east of Carson. They'll buy my cattle, and they'll sell me some horses for breeding stock. Raising horses is more what I'm suited to, I think. I can train them for any kind of work. With just me, I don't need a lot of income. Selling a few horses a year will be enough. If I do better than that, well all the better."

"But there's a lot of upkeep on a place even if all you're doing is raising horses."

"Roscoe is going to stay. The men have all the fences in good shape, and we won't need much pasture anyway. Roscoe will build a few more corrals for me, and we need to add some stalls in the stable."

"You seem to have thought this through rather well."

"I'm good at planning and organizing. I thought I ought to take advantage of my strengths instead of trying to do something too different. The idea of being a rancher was a lot easier than actually being a rancher. I had no idea how much work it would be."

"But you know how much work it is to raise horses?"

"Yes, we raised a lot of horses on our ranch in Texas, and we did a bit of that in California before my father caught the gold fever and died in one of those mining camps."

"What of the rest of your family?"

"There was only my father and me. The rest of my family died in Texas. We left when there was no one left but the two of us. Father gathered up the best horses, and we headed to California. We left everything else behind including the graves of the rest of the family although it's not much of a grave when all you can do is put a marker by your burned down house knowing your family is in those ashes."

"What happened?"

"There was a Comanche raid. Some of their women had been taken and badly used by some men. We had nothing to do with it, but I guess they look at us the way a lot of white look at them. They're all alike. My family was white so they had to die. I hid in the fruit cellar, and Papa was away when it happened. I heard terrible screams but I was always told if there was trouble, to stay in the fruit cellar and not make a sound. I was still hiding there when Papa got back after he saw the smoke rising. It was too late. It was all over by then, and there was nothing he could do. I guess I was trying to recreate it here, but it's gone, and I can't do anything about it. The Reynolds Ranch was no more."

"Reynolds? I thought that was your late husband's name."

"I went back to my family name after my husband was killed. His name was Reed, and he was hanged. Some thought he had been involved in cattle rustling. It was only later that they realized it was a mistaken identification when they caught the men who had really done it. There was too much notoriety with the name. I went back to my family name. I suppose you need to know that. If you want to spend any more time with me, you deserve to know the whole story."

Pulling Rose back into his embrace, Adam consoled her but was also thinking. Her story did match up well with what he had been able to find out. His father had brought home letters and telegrams when he made trips to town over the past two weeks, but he now knew what Hoss meant about how she told a story. Something didn't feel right about it, and like Hoss, he couldn't quite figure out what that was. He had a few more telegrams to send. He didn't like not trusting her, but his failure to be careful had led to some big problems for him in the past year or so, and he didn't want to let that happen again.

"How about coming inside for a cool drink? I made lemonade this morning."

"That sounds wonderful. I've been working so hard, I've hardly had time to have a cool drink of anything."

"I thought I might see you on Sunday, but none of you were at church services."  
"I thought I would be able to see you too, but we had some trouble up at the timber camps so I had to ride up there. I got back yesterday and had a lot of work to catch up on. As soon as I finished up this morning, I took a bath and headed over here hoping you would be home and not too busy. I'm free for the rest of the day."

"Handsome, I'm never too busy for you. I'm glad you took a bath too."

"Oh, why is that?" Except Adam was grinning because he had a fair idea why she liked that he had bathed. "I like to take baths except I hadn't had a chance for a week. There's a dance in town tonight too if you were by chance interested in going with me?

"Let's talk about the dance inside over lemonade and cookies.

Once in the house, Rose did pour glasses of lemonade for them and they took them to her parlor to relax and talk. Adam sat beside her on her settee. She leaned into him as they talked.

"You've made a lot of changes in your life in the past year."

"Yes, but some were forced on me. I couldn't stay where I was after my husband was killed. I left there after selling everything. I used that money to buy this place, and I transferred all of our investments here too so I never have to go back to California again."

"You wouldn't consider taking a trip with me to Sacramento or San Francisco?"

Rose was nervous about Sacramento especially and she would have to travel through that city if they were going to San Francisco. "No, I'm sorry. It would be too difficult."

"I have to go to those cities frequently on business. I had thought perhaps you would like to go with me so we could enjoy the theatre together. They have a number of fine restaurants too."

Rose was getting exceptionally nervous then. People in those places knew her as Violet Reinhart. Now there weren't that many who knew her, but her plans could come crashing down around her if even one person called her Violet or Vi when she was with Adam. She had thought that moving to such a small city in Nevada would remove that threat but now knew how naive she had been about that. Adam noted her nervousness and assumed it was because of her past or the story of her past that she had told him.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to upset you. I only wanted to see if you were interested in some of the same things I like."

"There's Piper's in town. That will be good enough for me, or I would go with you to Carson City, but I don't want to ever set foot in California again."

Rose was being real with that statement. It wasn't in her notes, but she felt strongly about it. Those emotional undertones came through very clearly. Knowing he had upset her, Adam tried to steer the conversation back to the two of them and the dance in town. Rose went to get refills on their lemonade without giving him a final answer though. She needed time to think. Finally she decided that the best strategy was to go with him to the dance so she agreed to his request. Adam grinned and pulled her to him for a kiss when she said she would go to the dance with him, and almost inevitably, they ended up in her bed.

"I do enjoy how you make love to a woman, Adam. You make me feel like I'm the luckiest woman alive. You seem different than most men. You care about how I feel."

"Respect, trust, and consideration are important in any relationship. If you don't have those, nothing else can happen."

Rose rested in his embrace then with her head on his chest and his arm around her holding her close. "Adam, I don't have any fancy dresses. Will my Sunday dress be good enough?"

"Rose, it's a barn dance. Your everyday dress would be good enough. I'm wearing what I wore over here. It's not a formal dance. There will be square dancing and reels. I'm hoping there will be a few waltzes but you never know at one of these. If it was the dance at the dance hall, there would be a more formal atmosphere, but even then, a nice dress is all that's required."

They shared an early light dinner, and then Adam went to hitch up her carriage as she dressed for the dance. As they drove to town, they talked about her plans for raising horses, and Adam had to admit that she did seem to know what was needed for that. He asked if she had enough harness and saddles. She didn't so he told her he would introduce her to the man in town who would supply those for her at a fair price. She liked that he didn't try to talk her out of her plan, but she also worried that might be because he had no intention of getting too involved with her so it didn't matter that much what she planned to do. She knew that there were many men who wouldn't mind marrying her. She knew she was pretty. She also was financially well off and that would interest many men, but she wanted Adam. She had already changed her life to accommodate that desire. As they chatted, she was thinking about how she could pull him closer to her. She did entertain the idea that she might bear his child. She knew that a man like Adam would marry her if she was with child. However, they had only had relations a few times. She had been with Clint for a year, and never was heavy with child. She had to wonder if that was even a possibility for her.

When they arrived in town, Hoss and Joe were already there and called out to them. Adam helped Rose from the carriage, and introduced her formally to his brothers. Rose remembered Hoss especially from talking with him at church briefly a few times and from the day he stood on her porch and asked about the gang the posse had been trailing. Joe took her hand and kissed the back of it like some southern gentleman, and she had to smile at the effort he made to be suave and sophisticated. It didn't suit him, but the darling smile was enough to offset that.

As Rose walked in with Adam, she noted a number of looks directed her way which could have killed if the daggers had been real instead of imaginary. Many of the ladies had heard that Adam was spending time with the Widow Reynolds, but to see it confirmed was maddening to some. There were many in town who had set their sights on him, and all were irritated that he was interested in someone who had only recently moved into the area. That he danced exclusively with her all night only added to the ill feeling. Rose was going to find a number of cold shoulders if she attempted to make any female friends in town. She found that out at church services the next morning. Several times women talked loudly enough for her to hear especially when one of the Cartwrights was not close.

"I never saw her in mourning clothes."

"He's only been dead a year, I heard."

"They left the dance very late last night."

"I saw them leave. She had her arm in his, and he was driving her carriage. I wonder if he ever went home last night."

"She's from California, and some of those women out there play fast and loose with rules." "She might be one of those."

"My husband says she must be one of those suffragists. She bought her own ranch and has been in the bank doing transactions and such like any man would do."

By the time she was riding with Adam to the Ponderosa, she was feeling a bit down. Adam asked why so she told him. He had said he wanted her to trust him, and she did.

"They're jealous. They'll get over it. Some of the people out here just can't help gossiping about the Cartwrights. You spend time with us and you become part of it."

"I hope your family likes me."

"Just be yourself. They'll like you just fine."

Rose was nervous though. She had read through her notes this morning to make sure she didn't slip up. She had learned a long time before this that lies were difficult to remember. She learned to write them down so she could study and learn them so that eventually they seemed like the truth even to her. She did well with the family answering questions, and she was sure that even Adam with his superior intellect would not find any errors in her story. He didn't, but she was wrong that he had accepted everything she had told him. After driving her home and riding Sport back to the Ponderosa, he had a lot of time to think. Things were not quite right, and he was beginning to suspect he knew why. What he didn't know was why she was doing what she was doing. He needed more information. He thought that perhaps Hoss could help him with that.

Chapter 8

As often as Hoss could for the next week, he rode fence lines and worked pastures near the Reynolds Ranch. He kept track of the men as they returned with horses. He watched as three of them rode out apparently with all of their gear. He followed them to town and informed Roy as Adam had requested. Roy got a good look at all three and when one rode south and two rode east, he sent telegrams out to alert the authorities about the potential for robberies. All they could do then about their suspicions was to wait for something to happen.

People were moving into the area as the mines, ranches, and timber camps were hiring. No one noticed the red haired man who seemed interested in everything that had been happening in Virginia City over the past few months. It wasn't unusual because almost all newcomers had lots of questions. This man asked some questions here and some there so he didn't attract any undue interest even if his questions seemed to focus in on the Cartwrights and the Ponderosa with quite a few questions about Adam. Roy noted the man because he rarely missed noting any newcomer, but he looked like any other cowboy in town to find work or perhaps only drifting through. Then after a day, the man was gone. That didn't cause any undue interest either even though Clem had reminded Roy that one of the gang reportedly had red hair that had been seen on occasion even though the members of the gang always wore masks, dusters, and slouch hats during their illegal activities. Roy had an answer for that.

"Well, he don't seem to know anybody in town, and now he's gone. I can't see that helps us any. If he comes back, now that could be cause for concern."

"Roy, I wish we know which way he headed when he left. We don't even know which direction he came from. I guess I'm saying I'd like to know more."

"Clem, you can watch for him. Ifn he shows up again, we'll put somebody to watching him. Is that good enough for you?"

Rose, or Violet, knew exactly where the red-headed man was. She had awakened that morning to the smell of coffee. She went down the stairs to find Clint sitting at her kitchen table sipping from a cup. She knew he would come to her when he got out of jail.

"So, Vi, you starting to live like you're already married to that Cartwright? Sleeping late, and not fixing breakfast for your man?"

"Clint, I didn't even know you were coming. I knew you were getting out, but how was I to know when you'd arrive?"

Smiling Clint let her move to the cabinet to remove a fry pan before he vented his anger on her. He moved swiftly and grabbed her about the waist dragging her from the room and to her bedroom. She managed to get away from him there, scrambled over the bed, and stood defiantly on the other side of it facing him.

"You have no right to treat me like that."

"Don't I? We were together. I would have killed any man who came near you and you knew it. Now, I'm gone and you've got another man in your bed?"

"You've had other women."

"That's different. It was only when you weren't around. None of them ever meant anything to me."

"You weren't around."

Appraising her and wondering if she would say more, Clint waited. She said nothing more. "Roscoe told me what's been going on. That Cartwright has been with you a lot."

"Only three times. That's not a lot."

"You've seen him more than that."

"Seen him, yes, because I was lonely."

"You ain't gotta be lonely now."

It was her turn to appraise him and think as well as wait to see if he would say more. "All right. We can go back to the way it was, but you can't hurt him."

"Hurt him, nah, I ain't gonna hurt him. I'm gonna kill him."

She didn't let her feelings show and nodded instead. She opened her robe and dropped it to the floor. Clint grinned and began undressing. Soon, as far as he knew, it was back to the way it was except something very basic had changed. Previously, she had thought of ways to keep the hot-headed Clint safe and alive. Now as he moved over her, she was thinking of the best way to remove him from her life. She knew he had to be killed. He was mean enough that if he got caught, he would tell the authorities about her because he wouldn't want her to walk away free if he was going to the gallows. She feigned interest in his attention until he finished. Afterwards, they sat together in the kitchen and had breakfast. Clint spent most of the time talking about how he could get the men back and how there were banks all over Nevada that were ripe for the picking.

"Once, we clean up around here, I'm thinking Wyoming might be a good place to go. Mighty slim pickings, but we could set ourselves up with a nice place and only do jobs when we needed the money."

"Clint, the men aren't coming back. We had the same men for too long. The bounty hunters and the law were going to close in on us."

"Well, there ya go. You're the planner. Now we still got Roscoe. I know you must have ideas on how we can get some money with the three of us."

"I'm not sure yet. We should lay low here for a while until the men after us give up the chase."

"Sounds good. When you expecting that Cartwright again?"

"Clint, you really can't kill him. He's a wealthy, important man out here. The ranch would be crawling with posse members and the sheriff if you kill him."

"Yeah, you always were the practical one. But you see, there's this thing. This ranch you got for us is pretty big. I'm aiming to kill him and then bury him. It's not gonna be hard to cover up a grave out there. I'll bury him right in the middle of the pasture where you got that salt lick for the horses. Nobody's ever gonna think there's a grave under that. Now come here. I been locked up for a month. I missed you."

For the rest of the day, she tried to think of ways to get away and warn Adam, but Clint must have suspected she might try that. He stayed by her side regardless of what she was doing. That night, he told her that Roscoe would be standing guard. "I don't know what plan you had in mind, but whatever it was, you better start planning again cause you ain't gonna have that Cartwright like ya wanted."

She wanted to say that it wasn't Adam getting killed that she had planned, but now that Clint was going to do that, she was furiously thinking on how to get away from him after he did. He had no idea what was going to happen once Adam was missing, but she had met his family and knew there would be a search that wouldn't stop until Adam's body was found. Clint wouldn't survive this time. She fully expected him to die for Adam's murder, and hopefully in a shootout with the posse. She wanted to be find a way to be able to claim innocence when the authorities came looking. She finally decided that she would incite him into a rage. He would bruise her badly, but he never did any permanent damage. Then she could claim that he had held her against her will and forced her to allow him to stay there. She smiled slightly as she realized how well that could work out for her. She didn't waste any time getting started on what she needed to do.

"At least Adam is a real man. He was ten times better in bed than you, and a lot easier to look at too." Clint slapped her then drawing blood from a split lip, but she wasn't done. "He never had to hit me either. He just asked, and I did whatever he wanted. He's that much of a man." Clint was enraged then and threw her against the wall grabbing her throat in his hands. Her head throbbed where it had hit the wall, and she was sure she would have bruises on her back.

"I could snap your neck like a twig, but I won't. I'm gonna come back here tomorrow and wipe his blood on your face." She grabbed at his wrists then, and he released the choke hold only to grab her wrists and force her to turn around. He punched her in the back several times until she dropped to her knees. The final insult was a kick before he stripped off his boots as well as his pants and shirt before slipping into the bed. He motioned for her to join him. She did and he pulled her close so he could tell if she left. In the morning, he pulled her to him and did what he always did when she was beside him in bed. She heard him snoring later before she thought it was safe to go to the kitchen for some towels and to put cold compresses on the worst of her injuries, but Clint opened his eyes as soon as she moved. He was apologetic as he always was after he hit her, but he did blame her for instigating their dispute. After breakfast, Clint rode off toward the Ponderosa boundary. Roscoe came to sit in the kitchen with her.

"I told ya not to cross him. You knew what he was like. You knew what he would do, but I don't see how getting Cartwright killed helps us. I know you're always planning, but this time you got me confused as to what you're up to."

"I'm not planning anything, but Roscoe, after Clint kills Adam and the posse gets here looking for him, you better decide which side you're going to be on."

Looking thoughtful, Roscoe considered what she had said and what Clint was like. Finally he had a fair idea of what she wanted to do. "You got him to hit you on purpose, didn't you? That way you can tell the sheriff and the Cartwrights that he forced you to let him stay here. But how can I make it look like I wasn't part of it?"

"I could tie you to the center post in the bunkhouse. You might have to stay there a while until this all plays out. It'll be a lot better than hanging or getting shot by a posse though."

After thinking about all that had happened and what she had said, Roscoe made his decision. "When would you do that?"

"Tonight while you're on watch. I don't think there's any other time to do it. Clint will be drinking after he kills Adam. When he goes to sleep it off, I'll come out and tie you up."

"Just one thing: what if we get real lucky and Adam kills him?"

"I would certainly prefer that, but it's real hard to survive an ambush." She thought for a bit. "It could happen though, couldn't it? All right, let's go tie you up now. I'll watch and if I see Clint riding back, I'll free you immediately, and we can go with the original plan. If, God willing, I see Adam riding this way, you can rub your wrists real hard on the ropes to get some rope burns before I free you. That way it'll look like you were tied up for a while. Is it a deal, partner?" Roscoe smiled and nodded. The two of them headed to the small bunkhouse then to carry out their plan.

By late morning, Adam was riding over to see Rose. He felt uneasy as he neared her ranch. He didn't know why at first until his training kicked in. There were no birds singing and no squirrels chirping. There was a hunter in the woods. He leaned down to loosen his rifle in the saddle scabbard, and that act saved his life. The bullet meant to shatter his skull creased it instead although the force of that and the ensuing concussion caused him to fall from the saddle. He heard footsteps approaching and wanted to get up to fight but couldn't. He heard the man talking then.

"You thought you were so smart and so tough. Well, seems you ain't any more than any other man I ever killed. I think I can bury you right here. Ground is nice and soft, and I don't have to lug you too far. It was nice and convenient, you coming this way."

As Adam lay there with blood streaming into his face, he regained his senses although the headache he had was one of the worst he could imagine. He kept his eyes closed until he heard the sound of digging. He opened his right eye just a bit. His left eye was covered with blood so he didn't even try to use that one. What he saw and heard gave him a bit of encouragement. The man was talking to himself and making quite a bit of noise with the digging. He had his back to Adam. Slowly and with each move deliberately planned, Adam moved to his knees and then stood by grasping Sport's saddle. He edged to the back of the nervous horse and carefully stepped about five feet until he had a tree he could use for cover and for support. That small effort took everything he had but desperation forced him to remain focused. He pulled his pistol and made sure it was ready to use. Then he waited. Once Clint had dug down several feet, he dropped the shovel and turned to walk toward Sport stopping in shock when he didn't see a body lying there next to the animal.

"You looking for me?"

Clint looked up in shock and then drew. Adam shot him before he pulled his pistol from the holster. On the ground, Clint drew his weapon so Adam was forced to shoot him again. Clint didn't survive the second shot. Adam sank to his knees then and turned to lean against the tree. He aimed his pistol straight into the air and fired three times.

On the Reynolds Ranch, they had heard the rifle shot. Waiting to see Clint come riding back, they heard two more shots that sounded like they had been fired from a pistol. They waited longer and heard three more pistol shots fired in rapid succession and then nothing more.

"We better get ready for Clint to ride back."

"We can't be sure until we see who's riding in. There were a lot of shots after that first rifle shot. Maybe Clint missed, and Adam killed him."

"I've been thinking. If it's Adam who rides in, he would have expected me to free you as soon as I had the chance. I need to be tied too so it all makes sense."

First Roscoe tied Rose's wrists so that she had burns there. Once he untied Rose, she tied and then untied Roscoe who had rubbed his wrists against the rope until he had some significant rope burns.

"I need to look like I been in a bit of a fight. If it's Clint, I can say you tried to get away."

Rose nodded and then hit him twice in the face. He had bruises from the two blows. It would be enough they thought to convince anyone. The two of them headed to the kitchen then to get cold compresses for what they had done to each other.

"Roscoe, we make a good team." Rose never felt quite so alive as when she was planning something and then carrying out her plan.

Smiling, Roscoe had to nod in agreement. "Yes, we do, Rose; yes, we do."

Chapter 9

Several hours passed as Rose and Roscoe waited on the ranch for word of what had happened to Clint or Adam. No one came to tell them anything. Both worried that somehow Clint had been taken alive. In that case, they should be fleeing the area, but neither wanted to spend their life as a fugitive. Finally, Rose had Roscoe hitch up the carriage. He rode ahead to scout out the situation and Rose drove behind him. Once Roscoe got to a good observation point above the Ponderosa, he saw that the sheriff was in the yard of the Ponderosa. There was a body on a horse but he couldn't be sure who was slung over that saddle. He saw Ben and Joe Cartwright as well as some of the hands. Then he saw Adam's horse tied to the hitching rail. A short time later, the sheriff rode out leading the horse that carried the body. The red hair was identifiable even at a distance. Roscoe visibly relaxed, turned, and waved to Rose to come forward. He and she then rode down to the Ponderosa yard where they were greeted by Ben and Joe.

"Mrs. Reynolds." There was an edge to Ben's voice.

"I'm sorry, Mr. Cartwright, but we came here for help." As Rose moved out from under the canopy of the carriage, the bruises on her face and neck were obvious. Ben and Joe stepped forward then with the slight hostility giving way to concern. Ben moved to help her down from the carriage and noted the abrasions on her wrists.

"I am sorry. Adam warned me about living out here, and not having protection. I'm a fool, I guess, because I never expected anything like this to happen."

"What happened?"

"A man came to my house. He was awful. He left us tied up and rode off. He said if we went to the sheriff, he would be sure to kill us. I'm sorry. It makes no sense, but that's what happened."

Roscoe came to stand beside Rose, and Ben and Joe could see the bruises on his face as well as similar abrasions on his wrists. "Took us a while to get free, Mr. Cartwright. Adam always said ifn we needed help, we could come here, and you folks would help us. Is Adam around?"

"Yes, he is, but he's hurt. Tell me, was the man who tied you up and threatened you a man with red hair?"

"Yes, he was. Do you know who it was?"

"No, but he tried to kill Adam. We have no idea why. Adam ended up killing him, although he does have a slight head injury, and at the moment, a terrible headache. Let's go inside. I think he'll want to see you, Rose."

Ushering Rose up the stairs, Ben showed her to Adam's room. Doctor Martin was irrigating his left eye to clean away the particles of dried blood. He had already cleaned up the bullet crease and put a small bandage over it. Rose could see that Adam's hair was matted with dried blood on the left side. Hoss was helping the doctor, and Adam was mostly grimacing while trying to keep his eye open for the doctor's ministrations. Rose and Ben waited by the door until Paul finished. He put a soft cloth moistened with oil over Adam's eye and an eye patch over that.

"The best thing for you now is to rest. I can't give you anything for the pain, but I'm sure Hop Sing will have an ice pack ready soon, and probably some tea for you as well. The man seems to have a tea for everything."

Hoss got a clean shirt from Adam's armoire and helped him remove the soiled one. He took a wet cloth and wiped blood from Adam's shoulder and chest before helping him put on the clean shirt. Adam had closed his right eye as the doctor finished. When he opened that eye, he saw his father and Rose standing in the doorway. He couldn't be sure but thought that Rose looked as if she had been hurt. As she moved closer, he could see the bruises in the shape of fingers on her throat, the cut lip, and bruises on her cheeks.

"Rose, what happened?"

Moving to sit beside him on the bed, Rose reached up to touch his cheek. "I'm so glad you're alive. I had no idea you had been hurt."

"Rose, you're hurt. Can you tell me what happened?"

"Adam, not now. You need to rest, and I'm safe now. We can talk later." Rose gently pushed Adam to lay back and rest his head on the pillows that Hoss had put there to prop him up. She sat quietly holding his hand marveling at how wonderful she felt that he was still alive and that Clint was dead. She heard the other men leave, and sat quietly by Adam's side until she could tell he had fallen asleep. Because of some things Adam had told her about his father, she thought that Ben wouldn't like her spending too much time in Adam's bedroom, so she got up to go downstairs. Adam held onto her hand though not letting her leave. She looked to see that he had opened his right eye and was looking at her with concern.

"Rose, tell me what happened."

So Rose told a story of a stranger who had invaded her ranch, tied up Roscoe, and then attacked her in her own home. She felt Adam's fingers tighten over hers. "Rose, did he hurt you?" And Rose knew what Adam was asking. She denied that they had ended up in bed. She said that he forced her to cook a meal for him and provide him with alcohol. Then she said he tied her up before he fell asleep. The next day she said he forced her to fix him a breakfast before tying her again and threatening her. He had ridden out and she had managed to free herself before freeing Roscoe. She told him that then they came to the Ponderosa to get help. Adam reached out for her and pulled her into an embrace.

"Hey, I should be consoling you. You're the one who got shot."

"Rose, nothing like that should ever have happened to you. I'm so sorry he hurt you. You should stay here until we can figure out a way for you to be safe on your ranch." They talked quietly about that for some time.

Downstairs, Doctor Martin gave a positive report to the family that Adam would only need to be in bed for that day, and then to work lightly for a few days unless dizziness was a problem. After Paul left, both Joe and Ben noted how worried Hoss looked. Finally Joe needed an answer so he asked him why he looked so worried after knowing Adam would be all right.

"Why did he want to kill Adam? And why did he have a shovel with him, and then want to bury him right there? It don't make no sense to me."

"Hoss, it doesn't make sense to me either. Unless he was hired by someone to kill Adam, his actions are very strange."

"Yeah, and Pa, listening to her tell her story, it sounded so strange too." Hoss then repeated the story that Rose had told them. Joe looked incredulous as Hoss talked. Ben noted that and had to ask why.

"Pa, that is exactly the story that Roscoe told me when you took Rose up to see Adam."

"Joe, course they got the same story. It happened to the both of them."

"No, Hoss, I mean all the words were the same and everything. It was like hearing Roscoe talk when you were talking. That's an awful big coincidence."

After thinking for a bit, Hoss had a plan. Joe, you ride on back to the Reynolds place with Roscoe. You can tell him you just want to help him make sure there's no damage that has to get fixed. I reckon Rose is gonna want to stay with Adam for a bit. Tell him we'll get her back there safely later. Then I'm taking a few of the hands who know how to track, and we're gonna go back to where we found Adam and take a look around to see what we can see."

While Hoss was setting out with some men to check out the tracks left by Clint, Roy Coffee was asking around town about the red-haired man. He never got a name for him, but he did get some useful information. People remembered someone who had a shock of red hair like that. According to a number of people, he had been asking questions about the Cartwrights and Adam in particular before riding out of town and apparently directly to the Reynolds Ranch. Roy found it all very strange and wondered what it could mean. He decided that he would take a ride out to the Ponderosa the next morning to see if Adam or any of the Cartwrights could recall a problem they had with a red-haired man.

At the Ponderosa, Adam had fallen asleep, and Rose came downstairs to take her leave. She wanted to get back to her ranch to make sure that all the details for her story were in place. She had no idea that Joe had gone back with Roscoe, and that he had insisted that they ought to go in the house and clean it up so that Rose wouldn't have to face that task when she got home. Roscoe insisted that he could take care of things himself, but Joe insisted that a good neighbor would help. He found out a few interesting things as well. As he and Roscoe exited the house, Ben drove up in the carriage with Rose. He had Buck tied to the back.

"Hello, Roscoe. I wanted to make sure that Rose got back here safely, and that you two have a plan to be safe here. I could send over a couple of hands to help out if you need them."

"No, I think, if Rose doesn't mind, that I should move into the spare bedroom in the house to better protect her. I'll go to town tomorrow to see about hiring a couple of hands. I guess we really do need some help here."

Rose nodded because she was glad that Roscoe had come up with a way to protect them while reassuring the Cartwrights. She had no idea that there was information gathering that was going to be a major problem. She and Ben had gone past Hoss and some hands who had done their best to look like they were fixing the fence line when in fact, they were checking tracks from her ranch to the ambush site. That night as Rose and Roscoe celebrated extricating themselves from a life of crime, Hoss was in a very serious conversation with his father and brother about the troubling things they had found out. None of them slept well that night. The next morning, the breakfast table was unusually quiet. Adam looked rather awful with significant bruising on the left side of his head especially around his ear and the side of his neck. His left eye was red and teary, and he still had a bandage on the wound from the bullet. He ate little and sipped coffee. Finally he had to ask.

"What's the elephant in the room? There's something big here, but apparently no one wants to tell me."

Hoss looked at Ben who nodded. They needed to talk about everything that had happened. Before Hoss could say anything though, there was a knock on the door. Joe answered it finding Roy. "You're here pretty early, Roy. Did something happen?"

"Nah, but I found out some troubling things yesterday, and I wanted to talk with all of you about them." Once he was settled at the table with a plate of Hop Sing's eggs, ham, and toast, Roy explained what he had found out. Adam was surprised, but his family didn't seem as if they were surprised at all.

"All right, it's time now for Hoss to tell the rest of the story." Adam had seen Hoss look to their father earlier and knew Hoss had some information that he knew would be a problem for Adam.

Taking a deep breath and then expelling it, Hoss began. "We went to where we found you, Adam. The tracks that man made were in direct line from the Reynolds Ranch to that spot. Then we found where he had tied his horse and it was clear that the horse had been there a while. He was there a while too. We found a lot of tracks around that area."

Roy knew of course what that meant. "So he was asking about Adam in town, and then he went out to ambush him, but how did he know when Adam would be coming that way? I mean, the Ponderosa is a big place."

Adam dropped his head. There were a number of people who knew he went to see Rose in the middle of the day on a Saturday, but there were only two who could have told the would be assassin. The news got worse when Joe added what he had found out.

"Roscoe told me what happened. When I heard Hoss telling the story of what Rose had said, it was exactly what Roscoe had said to me." Adam looked a bit skeptical, so Joe explained more. "Adam, it was word for word exactly the same story. Now how could that have been the way unless they practiced what they were going to say. When I went back with Roscoe yesterday to check out the house to make sure Rose wouldn't have any mess to clean up, there was only one bed that had been used. Rose's dress and other things were right next to the bed, and it looked like two people slept in that bed and probably did a lot more than just sleep."

Adam didn't have to ask how Joe would know that last part. He was experienced enough to know that. Ben had questions too, and Adam was hurting because he knew the answers.

"Why did he have a shovel with him? Why was he going to bury Adam?"

From the looks that Roy and Joe had, Adam guessed that they knew the answer too. "Because he intended to stay around here, and he couldn't do that if my body was found. There would be too many questions. If I disappeared though, people would assume I had left the area. He would have been able to stay here because no one would have connected him with my disappearance."

Hoss was trying to process the whole thing. "But where could he stay?" Then it dawned on him. "He planned to stay on the Reynolds Ranch, didn't he?" Seeing the look on Adam's face was painful. "Dadburnit, Adam, I'm real sorry."

Chapter 10

All five men were quiet for a time until Adam spoke. "I realize now what I always found so unusual about her story. It was always correct. I mean, it was grammatically correct and in perfect chronological order. Who tells their family history that way? She rehearsed it. It was all a lie." After thinking a bit more, Adam continued with pain in his voice as he talked softly. "I remember being in plays in college. Those who weren't very good actors always sounded like they were reading their parts even after they had memorized their script. There was never any emotion in their voice or mannerisms. That's how Rose told her story when she told me, and then she told the exact same version when she was here." Turning to Roy, Adam had to ask him what he would do next.

"Adam, there's the truth and then there's trying to prove it's the truth. Those are two very different things sometimes. Now I know what the truth is just like you do, but I don't think we could ever prove it. It's based on guesses. Now I know it's logical and fits the facts we know, but we got no evidence of anything."

"I'm going to go over there to talk with Rose."

After Adam said that, Hoss and Joe talked at the same time saying the same thing. "I'm going with you."

Roy had a caution. "Now don't you boys do anything stupid. Right now, she's innocent according to the law so don't do anything to get yourself in trouble."

"None of us will break any law, Roy. Joe and me will see to it, but Adam needs to get the truth from her. We'll tell you all about it afterwards."

Adam had pushed his chair back from the table. His elbows rested on his knees and his head was down. He looked every bit the defeated man. Hoss stood and placed a hand on his shoulder.

"I'll saddle up Sport. When we're ready, we'll come inside to get ya."

Getting a small nod in acceptance, Hoss looked at Joe and inclined his head toward the front door. The two men walked out with Roy who rode back to town intent on trying to find out the identity of the red-haired man. Hoss and Joe went to saddle horses after bidding goodbye to Roy. Neither of them wanted to go get Adam when they were ready to go. The look of pain he had was from far more than the injury.

"Joe, I'll go get him. I wish we could wait on this but who knows what else she's gonna do. You know I thought she really did love him even if things were a bid odd. I never thought she would want someone to kill him."

"Maybe she didn't, Hoss. Maybe that man decided to do it and she had nothing to do with it. Maybe she does love him and she really was tied up because she tried to stop him from going to kill Adam."

"Now, Joe, ain't you the one saying they shared the same bed the night before he tried to kill Adam. Something pretty cold-hearted about that. Maybe she did try to stop him but not hard enough if she really did love him."

Inside the house, Hoss found Ben trying to talk with Adam. He wasn't having much luck trying to get him to take it easy on himself.

"Pa, I messed up again. At least this time, an innocent man didn't have to die, but I read her wrong and almost got myself killed. Somehow she's tied to that gang. I should have listened when Hoss first voiced his suspicions. I was so ready to let someone boost my boost my spirit that I ignored all else. I was stupid."

"You were not being stupid. You were being a man, an upright, honest man. Son, anyone can be fooled when the other person is intelligent and purposefully seeks to deceive. Some people take advantage of trust, integrity, and even love to mislead others. Don't be angry with yourself because you found her attractive, fun, and interesting. She is all of those things, but she also seems to be a conniving witch. I've had my own experiences with women like that. We both survived these experiences."

"So, what? I'll better appreciate a good woman when I find one then?"

"You say that as if it isn't true. Don't we all appreciate those we love even more when we see how evil others can be? Go see her. Confront her and get her to tell you the truth. Then you can say goodbye to her and walk away clean."

"Pa, I think I was falling in love with her even though I said I wasn't. She was smart, funny, adventurous, and she made me feel good. Now all I feel is pain. I don't know what I did to make her want to do this to me."

"Adam, it's possible that she does love you, and that she did what she did to survive. You will only know if you go talk with her. If she'll tell you the truth, perhaps then you can make sense out of all of this."

Looking as weary as he felt Adam stood when he saw Hoss. There was no need for words. He could see Hoss' caring by the way he looked. He handed Adam his hat, but held his arm when he wanted to reach for his holster.

"Adam, it might be best ifn you don't take that. Joe and me will be there to back you up if that's needed. You already got quite a problem with your head, and I could tell by the way you're walking that you're a might unsteady yet. We'll take it easy so you can talk to her when we get there, but you shouldn't even be thinking about wearing your pistol. You couldn't hit what you're aiming at now anyway."

The three brothers rode to the Reynolds Ranch taking twice as long as usual to get there. When they arrived, it was fairly clear that the ranch was deserted. The door to the stable as well as the gate to the main corral stood open. Adam dismounted and went into the house to be sure she was gone and that nothing bad had happened to her. Her clothing was gone, and the kitchen looked like it had been cleaned out of food and cooking utensils. Hoss came in to say that the wagon that had been next to the stable was gone too. It appeared that Rose and Roscoe had left. Adam walked out of the house and dropped down on the top step.

"How did she know?"

"Well, she is right smart. She knew Joe was over here looking around. Roscoe probably told her what he mighta seen. She and Pa rode right by us when we was looking at the tracks that man who tried to kill ya made. She musta figured it out."

Joe walked out then with a sheaf of papers in his hand. "These were stuffed in the stove, but there was too much and if snuffed out the coals. Some papers were burned on the bottom, but you can read most of these."

Adam began to slowly page through the papers. Joe had taken a quick look when he found them and shook his head when Hoss looked at him quizzically. Adam handed one set of papers to Hoss. "There's her life story. She wrote it out so she could remember all the parts." He studied a few more of the papers. He handed another set to Hoss and then another. "Here's some paperwork about investments she signed over to the three hands who left. Here's some paper work about her other investments. Hoss passed each set to Joe who read them over as well. "Here's a letter from a lawyer in Placerville who represented a Clint Duggar in court there. I'm guessing that would be our red-headed man. It's addressed to Violet Wenz. That must be her real name."

It was clear to all three of them that Rose or Violet was the head of this gang. Everything pointed to her being the one who planned and organized. She was as responsible as any of the men for those who had been killed during the robberies they had done. Joe gathered all the papers and stuck them inside his vest. Dejected as he could be, Adam looked up at him from where he sat on the porch steps.

"I suppose we need to take those papers to Roy."

"I found them, I'll take them. Roy will figure it all out just as quickly as we did. You and Hoss can go home."

Joe was correct. Roy sent out wanted posters for Violet Wenz or Rose Reynolds and another for Roscoe. Adam did the drawings for him. He didn't say much about it. Roy rode out to the Ponderosa to ask him to do it because he had seen much more of the two of them than anyone else had. He had nodded, gotten some drawing paper, and before Roy left that day, Adam had handed him two sketches. Information was sent to authorities in western states for the three men who had left before Clint showed up. The man who had traveled south was apprehended first. He had only been involved in the Reno robbery and turned on the others giving up all the information he had in order to get a lighter sentence. Eventually all of the others were apprehended and sent to California to stand trial. The three men were sentenced to hang, but because of other circumstances, Rose, or Violet, got a life sentence.

After the results of the trial were published, Adam packed a bag to head for Sacramento. Ben told him not to go, but Adam said that he had to know. He had moped around the house telling anyone who asked that he was fine. His family knew he wasn't, but there was nothing they could say that could help him. They could only hope that time would allow him to heal. Adam knew that there was one thing that would make him heal, and he was going to Rose to see if he could get that. Ben gave Adam a ride to town and one last time offered to go with him.

"Pa, I need to do this. I'll be fine. You know I need to know. If it was you, wouldn't you want to know?"

Ben had to agree, but he knew that Adam would come home happy with what he had found or perhaps devastated if there was one more disappointment. As Adam rode in the stage, he didn't talk to anyone. The other passengers attempted to engage him in their conversations, but he sat silently as if he heard nothing that they said. One of the women in particular was vocal about ungentlemanly behavior, but he ignored that too. He wasn't going to get drawn into anything. He had been involved too much in too many things that led to poor outcomes. He had no energy left for anything that wasn't directly important to him. Some may have considered his behavior selfish, but he was in survival mode. He could only do so much, and he needed all of his resources to save himself. Once Adam arrived in Sacramento, he checked in at his hotel room, cleaned up, and then went to see Rose. He couldn't think of her as Violet. In his mind, she would always be Rose. At the jail, he identified himself and stated his reason for visiting. With a look of sympathy as well as some disapproval, the sheriff gave him permission to visit her.

"She will be transferred in a few days. The baby will be going to an orphanage unless someone steps forward to take him."

Adam only nodded and followed a guard through the door into the cell block where Rose had been held before and since her trial. The men were in a separate cell block. He walked up to the bars of her cell, and Rose looked up to see who had come to see her this time. She gasped when she saw Adam standing there.

"Saying I'm sorry is absolutely inadequate. I know that, but I am truly sorry. I did love you, you know. I tried to get out of my past so I could have a future with you. As you know, it didn't work."

Adam decided to be blunt and get this over with as quickly as he could. "Did you love me? Do you even know what love is?"

"Adam, I do, and I still love you, but there's no future any more. I'll never be free. I won't get to see my son grow up. I have to ask you. Did you love me?"

"I'm not sure. I think I was falling in love with you, but everything I've learned has put all that I thought I knew and felt in doubt. Did you love Clint?"

"No. I can honestly say I never loved anyone before you. I didn't even know what love was. I thought it was some silly thing that emotional people used to make their lives seem more meaningful. Being with you, going to the dance, going to church, working on the ranch; all of that taught me things I never knew. It's too bad I learned so late what I had been missing. Now I'm in love again, but I have to let him go too. They're letting me nurse him until other arrangements can be made. Then I'll never see him again."

"Did you try to change your life because you were with child?"

"No, sadly, I didn't even know I was. After all these years, I thought I couldn't have a child. Like everything else, I learned too late that I was wrong."

"The life story you told me. Was any of it true?"

"Yes, but it wasn't my truth. I borrowed everything from other people's lives and constructed a story for myself. I came out here with my mother who opened a house for men to visit the painted ladies. That's how she planned to strike it rich in the gold rush. I was thirteen then."

"A brothel."

"Yes, and she wanted me to work there and eventually run the place. I didn't like it at all, so I left. I preferred being alone to being used like a piece of property and having to act like I liked it. She was killed by a drunken customer only a year later. Considering what my mother did for a living when she was young, you won't be surprised to know that I have no good idea who my father is. Oh, she told me who it was, but I have no reason to believe that it was the truth. I'm not sure she even knew the truth. She lied to herself for so long about things, that I think she may have thought it was the truth. Now sixteen years later, I've managed to be a worse person than either of my parents. I can only hope my son has a better life."

"Is he mine?"

In answer, Rose pulled the blanket back to show the sleeping baby to Adam. His red hair and pale skin was answer enough.

"I'll do my best to see that he is placed with a good family. Once that's accomplished, I'll write you a letter to let you know that he'll have a better life." As Adam turned to leave, Rose stood and moved to the bars of the cell.

"Adam, I never meant to hurt you. I hope that someday you can forgive me, and let me know that you forgive me. I don't care how long it takes. I'd like to know if you ever do."

Without saying another word, Adam turned and walked from the room. He never looked back. He did what he had said he would before returning to Nevada. He said little when he got home. His family didn't need him to tell them anything. That he needed to take that trip and that he came home alone answered any questions they had. They did their best to try to cheer him up, but as Ben advised, only time could heal the wounds he had. He took trips to negotiate contracts but didn't seem to enjoy the time away as he once had. He seemed to enjoy ranch work even less so when he again suggested that he could take a trip to St. Louis to buy horses to improve their breeding stock, Ben agreed he ought to go. Joe hoped to go along but a severely sprained ankle stopped him from doing that. Adam seemed almost relieved to be going alone.

Hoss took over Adam's planned trip to San Francisco to finalize the details on some Ponderosa contracts. Joe grumbled but there was nothing he could do about that either. Two weeks later, Hoss arrived back in Virginia City. He stopped to see if there was any mail before he got his horse from the livery stable for the ride home. There was only one letter. It was from Adam, and Hoss was certain he knew what it said, but it was addressed to their father so he didn't open it. When he got home, his father was very joyful to see him. Hoss handed him the letter after Ben broke his hug. From the look on his face, Hoss guessed that their father knew what the likely contents were as well. Joe wasn't expecting it though.

"Why do you two look so down? Hoss is back with contracts, and we got a letter from Adam. You should be happy."

"Joe, would you help me with my horse while I tell you about all the work we gotta do because of those contracts?"

A bit puzzled, Joe followed Hoss to the stable as Ben took the letter inside. His younger sons found him at his desk when they entered. His eyes were red. Hoss leaned down to pick up the letter, and when he finished reading it, he handed it to Joe. After a minute, Joe looked up in anguish and threw the letter on the desk before stomping outside.

"Go with him, Hoss. He didn't see this coming like we did." Ben picked up the letter to read it again perhaps to see if there was more between the lines that he hadn't noticed in his first reading because he was so sad.

"Dear Father, Hoss, and Joe:

I'm so sorry to tell you this by letter, but I knew if I said anything to you, you would have talked me out of it and made me feel guilty about my decision as you always did before. I should have done this several years ago, but it was only wallowing in regrets and self-recrimination for more than a year that has forced me to face what I know I needed to do for a long time now. Pa, I know that the Ponderosa was your dream and that my mother shared that dream. I know that Inger wanted that dream too as did Marie. Hoss and Joe have made it their dream also, but it was never my dream. For many years, I helped you build your dream, but now I have to seek my own. Sadly I'm not sure what my dream is, but I know I want to travel. I want to see things about which I have only read and seen pictures and drawings. I want to do something that will last and mark my passage through this world. I could never do that while standing in your shadow. I think you knew all of this or guessed it, and I know Hoss knows it too. Joe, I'm afraid, will hate me for doing this to you. Pa, I hope you and Hoss can forgive me, and I hope too that someday Joe will be able to forgive me. I may be a selfish, self-centered ungrateful man for doing what I'm doing, but I would have dragged you all down into my well of self-pity and regrets if I had stayed. I have done what I set out to do here. There are a half dozen horses on their way to you now. They should arrive within a few days. I plan to stop in Kentucky and Tennessee to see if there are more horses that would be of benefit to the Ponderosa. My travel will take me to New York and Boston next, and then probably to Europe. I'll write when I can to let you know where I am. Thank you for everything you have done for me, and know that my love for you and for my home will never waver. I hope that I will be welcome when I return someday for that is my intention if you will still have me.

Love Always, Adam."


End file.
